


Transformers Prime; Home

by Lady_Fenikkusu



Category: Transformers Prime, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, None Betaed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 65,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23820886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Fenikkusu/pseuds/Lady_Fenikkusu
Summary: A set of drabbles for a friend that continues to grow with time. enjoy!
Relationships: Elita One/Optimus Prime, Knockout/oc, Soundwave/OC
Kudos: 5





	1. Children of War

**Author's Note:**

> this is an Alternate version of events to the show, mostly focusing on the struggles of the young ones who have to grow up fast and learn faster when war breaks out.

~@~

Arguments were common in all families.

Everyone knew this, they knew that for every reason a child could think of to try something, an adult saw twenty other reasons not to do something. For every pretty dress one sister found in the store, the other sister could find a better one.

It was worse when you were the oldest of two siblings and even though you both have good levels in everything you do, work hard to pay your way, did your chores and everything else to try and please your parents, they demanded more.

More credits. Higher grades. Better looks. Better posture. Better behaviour.

Better children.

It had come almost to a breaking point for one pair of siblings, two sisters, both born into a middle-class family unit, they both had done well in school and made amazing strides to become the best they could be and after a time, they had both been accepted into the Gamma School of Computing and Medical training.

The highest achievement in any middle-class family of that time, given that they were living in one of the few War free zones.

But it wasn't enough and their parents had demanded more, yelling and shouting at each other and their children until, in a fit of rage and anger, the oldest of the two sisters had snapped for the first time and yelled back at her parents, damning them both for not accepting that their daughters weren't perfect models of the great and grand Tower Class and wishing that she and her sister had better parents.

In their stunned state, neither had stopped their children from grabbing a few things from their room, stuffing them into a pack and leaving.

That night their city had been attacked and though terrified and completely lost in their own home city, the sisters had been saved by an elderly mech who had safely lead them to a hidden bunker.

They and a small handful of others had been the only survivors.

The 'tragic accident' was later found to be a coup by the Decepticon General Gigatron, who had fired all he could spare upon the city after hearing there had been a possible Autobot sighting and had done it under orders of Megatron himself.

Megatron however, was not pleased with this behaviour and came to their world while Sentinel Prime and other High Ranking Autobots were there, publicly executing Gigatron and his followers before personally apologizing to the survivors and handing the Autobots proof he had not made such an order. As a gesture of good will, Megatron had bought fresh Energon from his stores and left them with a ship free of any Decepticon programming or protocols to do with as they wished.

The sisters had stayed with the elderly mech who had saved them for a time and moved to live on Cybertron. The youngest one was a little shy and quite at first meeting and often shied away from others, but she was quick to open up and show a much more confident and bubbly personality to those who were patient enough to take the time to get to know her.

The older sister however, was not able to settle well and within a few solar cycles, she was diagnosed with tri-persona-coding level 3, a high-risk processor virus that without treatment would send the young femme insane. To avoid this, she was brought to the best Medics in the Autobot ranks and taken from her single processor preform and placed into a triple processor proto-form.

She would become one of the few Triple Changers left on Cybertron not yet aligned to a side, but to insure she was stable and balanced, the medics all agreed that she and her sister had to be placed with an established, mature and stable unit.

The elderly mech, who had been sat beside the child's berth during the procedure, smiled kindly and nodded. "I know just where to place them."

~@~

Hot Rod blinked and watched from the safety of his mother's shadow as his Grand Sire and Sire spoke and behind them were two femmes, both pretty looking and young like him, were carefully checked over by Ratchet.

"Are you sure there is nothing you will need Optimus?" The old mech asked.

"No Alpha Trion, we have everything." Optimus assured. "What are their names?"

Alpha Trion sighed softly, "They go by the names Blitz Racer, the oldest sister and the younger sister is Night Blight." He explained, "I didn't think it right to press for more answers, until they have had time to calm and settle."

"Understandable." Optimus nodded. "Thank you for bringing them to us."

"They need a stable home Prime and you can give them that while Blitz Racer settles into her new ability. I can think of no one better to help them settle and adjust then the Autobot who has brought so much hope to others and helped so many." Alpha Trion smiled.

"Will we see you again?" the youngest femme, Night Blight asked quietly.

"Of course, you will dear." Alpha Trion assured, gently petting the youngster's helm. "I visit Optimus often so you will not have to wait long between seeing me."

"Thank you, sir." Blitz Racer nodded though it was a little stiff as she winced a little.

"You are welcome Blitz Racer, Now, it is late, I am sure you both need some rest and so I will leave you to settle." Alpha Trion smiled and lightly put a hand on the older femme's shoulder. "Your head aches will ease in time, but if they become too much, let Optimus know and he will call the medics."

"Yes Sir." She nodded again.

~@~

Later that night, Optimus woke to the soft sound of sniffling in the house and quietly sat up and listened carefully, trying to locate the sound. It was coming from the wash room.

He got out of his berth, gently re tucking the blanker around his mate so she would stay warm and quietly made his way towards the room, listening to make sure his son and was still asleep as he went, he reached the room the girls were sharing and saw Night Blight was safely tucked up in her berth, deep in recharge.

Blitz Racer, it seemed was the one he could hear crying in the wash room.

Nodding to himself, Optimus made his way to the wash room and paused at the door, knocking softly. "Blitz Racer?"

She hic-upped on the other side of the door and he heard her quickly trying to hide the tears, "Ju-just a click, sir." She said and he heard the water turn on with a soft hum and a few splashes as the femme washed her face quickly. 

"You don't have to hide when you cry." Optimus said and the femme went quiet. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked.

"I-" Blitz Racer sighed after a time, "I don't want to wake everyone." She said.

"Then we can go and sit somewhere away from the others and talk." He offered gently.

"Ok." Blitz Racer said and came out of the wash room, her cheek plates stained with energon tear tracks even with the quick attempts to wash them away.

He led her to the quiet little room just off his office, it had been Hot Rod's play room when he was a sparkling, but now it was just a spare room that was pencilled down to be repainted and turned into a small office so Hot Rod could use it for studying or relaxing.

There was a beautiful view out the window, showing the beautiful stars and moons of Cybertron and the faint glint of the Crystal City a few miles away full of light and beauty even in the war-torn times they lived in.

"Now, what is troubling you?" Optimus asked, leading Blitz Racer to sit on the spare sofa that was in the room. "Was it a nightmare?"

"No... yes..." She sighed. "I was just so angry with them... I didn't mean for this..." She said before fresh tears rushed down her face again. "I didn't want them to die."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." Optimus soothed softly, putting a hand to the femme's back. "Hush, shhh, shh, it's not your fault."

"It is!" She said, "I told them we'd be better off without them! That we would have been better off with different parents! This is all my fault!"

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked. "Tell me what happened before the attack Blitz Racer." He suggested gently.

After a few deep breaths to try and calm her sobs again, Blitz Racer nodded and told Optimus everything, how she and her sister had been the top ranks in everything they did, how they worked hard and learnt all they could how despite all the odds they were both accepted into the best school they could and how despite everything she and her sister did to impress their parents, to be the best they could be, they were never accepted or given praise, only ridicule and scorn.

She told him how it had become too much for her and how she had snapped at her parents before the attack. "They just kept yelling and yelling and nothing made them stop, they just wanted better from us, no matter what we did, how hard we tried it wasn't what they wanted! They told Night she'd never be attractive to any mech with credits if she spent all her time in a Lab, that she wasn't pretty enough to be a Tower mechs mate! She was crying so much and they- they just kept yelling at her and then they started yelling at me because I told them to leave her alone, they said I was ungrateful! Demanding! That I wasn't worth the time they spent trying to teach me anything before she was sparked and I- I just snapped!" She wailed clutching her helm tightly as the memories came flooding back again. "I told them I hated them, that- that they weren't worthy of having any sparklings! I told them I never wanted them as parents that they were just miserable old low ranks who should rust away forever and now- Now..."

"Shhhh, shhh," Optimus soothed softly, gently rubbing Blitz Racer's back as she sobbed and wailed like a sparkling. "You're not to blame for this Blitz Racer. You had every right to feel the way you did, you and your sister were blessings to your parents from Primus himself and for them to treat you so poorly is cruel and hurtful of them, but as much as it pains you to know that the last words you spoke to them were hurtful and said with anger, you have no blame in their deaths."

"But I wished them dead..." She said. "My own parents and I said that... And now they're gone..."

"You said those words in anger and in pain because they had pushed you beyond your limit." He corrected, "If you had been calm, I doubt you would have said such things."

"What's gonna happen to us?" Blitz Racer asked, "Will they take Night away from me?"

"No one will take your sister away." Optimus assured, "You will live with me and my family until you are old enough to live by yourselves, then you can do as you wish, but until then, it will be my responsibility and honour to help you both resettle and grow into whatever you wish to be."

"We... We can stay here?" She asked, "But your son, your mate... what will they think?"

"Elita has always wanted a daughter, but with the war growing ever more dangerous, neither of us think it right to bring a new life into the world yet." He explained, "You may not be ours by coding and program like Hot Rod, but you need a place to stay and it would be rude of me to leave you both in a care system where you could become lost, separated or forgotten." He added and offered her a cleaning cloth. "Now, dry your optics my dear, it is late and young femmes need their rest if they are to help us decorate their room." He smiled.

Blitz Racer nodded and wiped her face lightly, drying the tears away as Optimus lead her back to her and Night Blight's room. "Thank you, Sir."

"You can call me Optimus," he smiled and gently placed a warm blanket her as she settled on her berth. "Hot Rod only calls me 'sir' when he's in trouble." 

"Thank you, Optimus." She corrected with a smile, the first real smile since the death of her parents.

"You're welcome Blitz Racer." He nodded, and gently tucked the blanket back around Night Blight as the younger femme shifted in her sleep.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Natural talent was never frowned up on.

Usually.

Her Carrier and Sire were both wealthy business mechs making a good living for themselves in the low Towers, selling fine arts, crystals, jewels and even the odd exotic animal to the much higher living Tower mechs.

She was given soft toys, blankets and pillows to play with and sleep on, she was treated with a hexag-cycle wax and shine with her carrier and every quad-cycle she was taken to the family medic and checked that her growth was going well with her sire.

They were kind but firm with her, they taught her from home and they never pushed her to follow their steps. They let her explore the world of careers from the relative safety of their shadows when they took her to fancy parties now and then and introduced her to the finest mechs and femme in the lines of business that she asked about.

She liked dancing, but she was too shy to do it on stage, she enjoyed singing but the playback never sounded right, she liked art and she adored jewellery making and while she excelled at designing things, she struggled to make things.

Then, one day her sire's friend, a big built mech with many weapons and a red boxy face painted on his chest and shoulders and huge weapons in a big case in his office had noticed her looking at the sniper rifle in the open box high above her reach.

"Would you like to try it?" The mech asked kindly.

"Can I?" She asked looking at her sire. "Please?"

Her sire nodded and her friend led them to the privet firing range in the building and set her up with some audio mufflers and safety visor. He put the rifle box down in front of her and set the targets up. 

"Put the rifle together, load it, set your shots and then squeeze the trigger." The mech said.

"She doesn't have any training at all?" One asked as he watched her assemble the weapon she had been given.

"She's too young to be training." Another said as she finished and then levelled the weapon at the target and loaded the shots in, ready to fire.

"She'll never get them."

"Be quite." She said bluntly and the room fell silent.

She checked her scope, adjusted for slight wind speed, took a breath to calm herself and then squeezed the trigger.

Bang-click. Wait. Bang-click. Wait. Bang-click-Bang-click. Wait. Bang-click. Over and over she did this until the targets were all down, then she gathered the shells, dismantled her gun, placed it in its case as the mech who had given her the rifle gently shooed her back to her Sire.

"Score?" A deep voice growled out.

"100%." The range master said as she joined her sire.

"Why are they staring at me?" She asked looking up at her sire. "Did I do a bad thing?"

"No, my little one." The older mech assured softly and gently ruffled her helm. "They are staring because you just broke a record."

"Oh." She smiled and followed her sire out of the room.

"Seems your little one is a talented sniper, Hound." The big mech said.

"We're not pushing her 'Hide." Her Sire said firmly, "Mirage wants her to choose her own path. Not be pushed into one."

"I'm just saying, she's good."

Her sire stiffened and after a few minutes quite he shook his helm. "It's her choice to make when she's ready." He said and led her home.

~@~

Her carrier had been upset about the news she was good at sniping, he'd tried to look happy but she'd seen the pain his in optics and the strange look she'd never seen before even though he'd praised her.

They ate dinner but before bed, her Sire was called away to help with something and so it was just her carrier tucking her in tonight.

"Don't you like that I'm good at something?" She asked. "Aren't you proud of me?"

"It's not that we aren't proud." Her carrier assured, "It's just that we don’t want you to get dragged into this War."

"But I can help." She said. "Can't I?" Her carrier choked suddenly and pulled her into a tight hug, his arms almost crushing her against his chest. "Carrier? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She asked in worry.

"You, oh my little Comet Trail you are so like your Sire, so willing to try and help." Her Carrier sniffled lightly and gently pressed a kiss to her helm. "No matter what you do in the future, always remember that you are the best of us both."

"I will." Comet Trail nodded and tightly hugged her carrier in return. "Please don't be sad anymore." She added and her carrier nodded, drying his optics lightly as he tucked her in.

"Good night Comet Trail." He bid softly.

"Good night Carrier." She answered and snuggled into her berth to recharge.

A sudden explosion ripped through the air and flooded her room with light, alarms and sirens began to wail and scream all around her as her carrier burst into the room again and pulled her into his arms as the glass of her window shattered and smoke flooded the room.

She followed her carrier's lead as he pulled her by the hand out of the room and into the hall way, placing something over her as they got to the door, "keep your head down and stay close." He told her and she nodded.

Her carrier pulled open a heavy door that both her parents had forbidden her from going into as a child and once the door was open she saw why, it was filled with weapons and ammo.

Her carrier snatched up several rifles, hand cannons and rocket launchers, putting them into his sub space, "Primus bless Ironhide." he smiled.

"Where's Sire?" She asked feeling smoke and burn her optics.

"We'll find him when we are safe I promise." Her Carrier assured, taking down a sniper rifle from the top shelf and handed it to her. "Sub space this and use these only if you have no choice." He told her, placing two smaller hand cannons in her hands, she sub spaced the rifle and one of the cannons as he took her hand again, his free hand now carrying a powerful blaster.

"What's happening?" She asked as the house rumbled and echoed with screams, gunshots and explosions.

"War has come." Was all her Carrier said before they were moving.

~@~

"The Towers are under attack!" A panicked voice yelled over the comms.

"All the cons are going wild! Megatron's ordered an Autobot wipe out!"

"All Autobots to your stations!" Optimus's voice rang over the comms, a powerful calm in the middle of a panicked storm of voice. "Evacuate the Towers and fall back to Iacon! I repeat, Evacuate the Towers and fall back to Iacon!"

"Why are they attacking the Towers?" Night Blight asked as she and the other youngsters were ushered into the safety of a panic room. "Why can't they stop fighting?"

"There is no explaining the mind of Megatron." Elita said gently petting Night Blight's helm, "He does what he wants without caring about anyone else, only himself and his lack of energon and power." 

"I hope Optimus makes him stop." Blitz Racer said. "War is wrong."

Hot Rod nodded. "Carrier, why can't we help?" He asked.

Elita paused looking at her son and then to the two femmes. "I think that is a question both your father and I should answer, not just me." She said after a time. 

"Ok."

~@~

"Decpeticon fraggers!"  
"Autobot Scum!" 

"Carrier..." Comet Trail whimpered as they took shelter behind a fallen wall.

"Shhh, I know love, it scary, but we have to keep going." Her carrier said, "We're almost there."

"What about Sire?" She asked again.

"We'll find him Baby." Her carrier assured softly.

"Mirage! Over here!" A voice yelled out as a powerful rain of shots went over head.

"Tracks! Gears!" Her carrier smiled in relief and took her hand tightly, running in the shadows and shelter of the fallen walls to reach the two mechs.

"Where's Hound?" Mirage yelled.

"With 'Hide in thick of it. Optimus is on his way!" One of the mech yelled back over the noise. "Get your kid out of here!!"

"There's nowhere to go!" A voice boomed as two huge mechs slide into the shelter and pulled Mirage and Comet Trail out of the way as a barrage of missiles came down on them. 

"Warpath?!"

"The bunkers are destroyed! Everyone's gone!" The giant Mech snarled. "Your kid’s safest with you!"

"Frag it!" Cursed the first mech.

"Stay close Comet." Her carrier ordered again and took up position with Tracks and Gears, near the shadows where Comet Trail would be protected from stray shots.

She curled herself up as tightly as she could, covering her audios to try and drown out the shots and curses around her as she huddled close to the wall, reciting poems and verses from songs she knew over and over in her processor, trying to block the War out.

It didn't work.

She heard the screams of mech and femmes around her, crying in horror as their homes were ruined and destroyed before their optics, the cries of sparklings and younglings as they were forced to run from the terrible sounds and screams, the groaning and crashing and shattering of the towers around her.

Strong, warm and powerful arms suddenly wrapped around her in a familiar welcome embrace and the steady, strong beat of her Sire's spark reached her audios as he lifted her up and carried her in his arms, her Carrier right as his side as they made a bee line for the ship that had landed a few klicks away.

She clung to her Sire as they reached the safety of the ship and he at last stopped running, leaning heavily again the wall of the ship and held her tightly, pulling her Carrier into the embrace with ease and clutched them close to his chest.

"Are you hurt?" He asked after finally placing her down on her own two peds, gently stroking and petting her arms and back to search for any injuries that might be there.

"No, I'm ok." She assured and clung to his chest as the tears came from her optics, and the shakes started all over her body. "Where were you? I was scared." 

"I know, I know baby girl, I'm sorry." Hound hushed softly, gently hold her close as her carrier called over a medic. "I'm here now baby and we are all together. Nothing can hurt us when we are together." He assured.

"What do we do now Hound?" Mirage asked.

Comet Trail looked at her Sire for the answer, only to see a pained, angry look cover his face. 

"We need to talk with Prime." He said and while Comet Trail knew she was protected with her Sire and Carrier, she suddenly felt afraid of what was to come. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

The fears of truly devoted and loving parents were universal.

Let whatever fate befall them that will, but spare their child any ill.

And so, after days of debate and arguments and talks that became yelling matches, it was agreed that for the safety of their children, Neutral families and retired Autoboots would leave Cybertron and seek shelter elsewhere.

For those whose children were too young to be alone or had only one Parent with them, special Stasis Pods were made and activated, and it was agreed that aboard every Autobot ship, a special level would be made and maintained solely to educate and raise children to adult hood, the walls of this level would be the thickest and strongest of them all, and it would have its own power supply.

For those who wanted to help, but were too young, they would go to new worlds for training from their parents or carers until they were old enough to join the ranks.

It was not what anyone truly wanted.

It was not the peace that had been promised to them for so long.

But it was better than the other options they had.

Night Blight, Hot Rod and Blitz Racer were sent to train with Elita-One and her most trusted team mates, Ultra Magnus took several others with him, while the Wreckers made their ways in the galaxy to chase down the cons who had taken off already to try and cause trouble. Comet Trail stayed with her Carrier while her Sire went with Prowl and other high ranked officers to protect the leaving ships.

Weeks grew into months and months into years until centuries past of nothing but constant fighting, shooting barely recharging, more fighting and sometimes, the terrible feelings of loss and sadness.

Cybertron grew dark and cold, losing what little light it had left after a huge battle for the All Spark, Megatron lost that battle, but he won control of what was left of Cybertron.

Blitz Racer hugged her sister close as they were carried away in a shuttle with Elita-One and Hot Rod. Vowing that she would do whatever it took to protect her sister and somehow, SOMEHOW, make this war end, looking at the small bracelet like charms she wore over her wrist, made from little shards of pretty crystals and stones Hot Rod and Night Blight had found her on a carbon wire.

Comet Trail huddled close to her Carrier as the shuttle tore away from the home she had watched become so lost and cold, clutching the only treasure she had managed to save from her home so long ago.

A shard of white crystal, no bigger than an energon goodie, fastened around her neck with a reinforced carbon wire. It was all that remained of the collection she'd once held so dear to her spark and it was the only gift she had left from her Sire now that the coms were completely ruined.

~@~@~@~@~@~

"You have ruined everything!" His dear sister snarled at the other, her form faint and weak in comparison to the larger, brighter form that protected her from his dark rays.

He would never do harm upon the dear one, she had been kind to him and he owed her the limited protection he could give and that meant he held the Mad one away from the dear one, no matter how much her awful presence made his mind race with the urge to kill her for what she had done.

"All those children, suffering before their lives even begin. How could you do this!?" She demanded and he forced his shadows to tighten around the mad one, stopping her from attacking the dear one.

"What did you expect of me sister? Just to let the seeds of me pets rot away and never unleash such glorious unrest and destruction on our Spark Maker just as I did your technorganic wretches?" The rasping, almost purring voice of his Mad sister cackled with clear enjoyment. "Your hybrid freaks made good pets, but what good is a race of puppets that do not dance to the pull of their strings?"

"My children are not your puppets!" His brother at last spoke up, snarling as his light burned through his darkness and scalded the Mad one for her insult. "Be gone from here Virus! You do not belong here anymore!"

"It will never end!" the mad one screamed through her pain. "All that you love and care for will be destroyed! All of you will suffer for betraying me! Especially you Chaos Bringer!" She promised as he left her to fade in the light.

"Brother-"

"I have no use for your people, brother." He assured, "Let them come to me if they wish it, I will grant them nothing more than I deem worthy. Such is our agreement." He added and with a gentle burst of harmless energy towards his dear sister, enough to feel like a gentle had were petting her helm, the Chaos Bringer sank deep into the darkness of his own mind and returned to his slumber.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

War brought out the worst in people sometimes. Blitz Racer was the best example of this and when she was around those she loved and trusted, she was calm, well spoke, polite, motherly and one of the most pleasant femmes to talk to.

But on the battle field, facing Cons who showed no mercy to her friends, she changed. She became violent foul and just as merciless as a Decepticon, killing without pause or hesitation when the anger or pain became too much for her to cope with. This, Night Blight dubbed her 'Wild Blitz' personality, it was easy to calm Blitz down from, but it was scary to see and Primus help you if you were her target.

There was another side to Blitz that only Night Blight and Elita-One knew about. A side that was lost, lonely and confused by everything, unsteady and almost child-like even after so many years of fighting, a side that worried endlessly for those she loved and care for, and a side that still had nightmares about her true parents. Though there were some times when the fear became anger and that anger was often vented over a slow time or it festered until Blitz Racer snapped at someone and went Wild.

It had been Hot Rod who dubbed this to be 'Fear Blitz' personality, and for the last six cycles, that had been the dominate Persona of Blitz racer, she was coping well, but when alone, she was often heard or found crying in a small ball trying to avoid a mental break down.

And then, Night Blight had come back to base with new Autobots to join Elita-one's crew and amongst them was Comet Trail, she had red and black armour, golden optics and an air of confidence that just didn't seem to fade. At first the two sisters were wary of the new femme, she seemed nice enough, always saying good morning and handing in reports, heck, she even helped out with Patrols and shifts around the ship, but something about her made Blitz Racer angry.

Maybe the fact she was so flirty with mechs around the ship, even if they were a little older than her, or just that she walked with such a natural sway of her hips and seemed to always catch everyone's optic. She'd caught Hot Rod's optic right off the bat and while Blitz Racer was sure nothing had happened between them, Comet Trail had no shame in blowing Hot Rod the odd kiss or even flirting with him over the comms when they were on missions.

"She talks like a Towerling." Night Blight said one day as she and her sister shared a cube together, watching Comet Trail chat with Tracks, Ironhide and Red Alert. "Always so proper and so polite..."

"She is a Towerling." Hot Rod confirmed. "Low rank, but still a Towerling. Nice femme though."

Blitz Racer hummph’ed. "She's not so great." 

And it went from there, Blitz Racer made sure to keep at a distance from Comet Trail, always a growl and a general 'go away' attitude about her whenever she was teamed up on shifts with the Towerling. It seemed to have some effect, as Comet Trail stopped flirting with Hot Rod and she did not speak very much to Blitz Racer when they weren't on patrols were shifts together.

They had just finished a rather quiet patrol together when the alarms began to scream around them and Bots mobilized for action.

"Decepticons chasing the second Patrol! Everyone to your stations!" Elita-one yelled over the comms.

"Night Blight!" Blitz Racer cried as she raced for the door, only to be caught by Ironhide and stopped. "Let go of me! My sister's out there!" 

"She's out of range! We can't shoot from here!" 

"It's Galvatron!" Warpath yelled, "Elita he's got Blight in his sights!"

"Scrap!" Elita hissed only to jump back as a powerful engine roared to life and a familiar Towerling shot past Blitz Racer and Ironhide out the base entrance before anyone could stop her.

"Comet Trail No!!" Mirage yelled.

Blitz Racer watched the Towerling shoot down the ragged and broken road and charge past the fleeing alts of Night Blight and Hot Rod, easily hiding them in a smoke screen while she charged at Galvatron, shooting up the ground around his peds as she went and knocking him off balance.

Galvatron roared in fury and chased after her, "Come on old mech! Can't you aim!" She laughed and lead Galvatron away from the base. "Slow aft Fragger!!"

"What is she doing!?" Hot Rod demanded.

"Buying us time." Elita-One said stopping Mirage from running after his daughter. "We have to help our Scouts." 

Blitz Racer watched Comet Trail's smoke screen fade away and soon the only way to track her was the echoing shots from the Cannon Galvatron carried. She'd just gone against every rule Elita one had laid down for them and not only that, she'd done it without hesitation.

And yet, her Carrier was... was he crying?

~@~

"Ow, ow, and ow again!" 

"Oh stop fussing, I'm almost done." First Aid chuckled as he worked on Warpath's arm. "How you didn't lose this to rust infection yet I will never know."

"I'm lucky? Ow!"

"First Aid, Night Blight and Hot Rod are ready when you are." Blitz Racer called.

"I'll be right over." First Aid assured, "Right after the baby bot here stops fussing about getting the rust out of his joints."

"Warpath as a Bitlet... sparks Megatron's army would just die from the thought." Hot Rod chuckled.

"Hey! I was an adorable Bitlet." Warpath proclaimed. "Ow!"

"Done." First Aid said and headed over to Night Blight. "You know what to do."

"Lay down, relax and then run like Unicron just showed up so you can't stick me with a needle." She asked with a smile.

"Don't make me sit on you." Blitz Racer stated with a smile and her sister giggled, laying down so the scanner could do its work.

After a quick check herself, Blitz Racer paused outside of Elita-One's officer, she had so many questions and so much she wanted to know... was it right to disturb Elita right now? 

"Come inside Blitz, I know you are there." Elita called out and Blitz Racer stiffened and then shuffled into the room.

"I didn’t mean to hover." She said quickly.

"It's alright." Elita smiled. "Now, what's bothering you?"

"It's... well, a lot of small things really... Ma'am." She admitted and after taking the offered seat at the other side of Elita's desk, Blitz Racer found it easy to just talk, telling Elita her first impressions of Comet Trail and her dislike for her and now her confusion at her willingness to just throw herself at danger, remembering for the first time in a long time just how young she really was.

"I... I don't understand why she would do that, Ma'am. She's a Towerling, not a warrior, why would she just put herself at risk like that?"

Elita smiled sadly, "Comet Trail's behaviour is not so different from your own at times." She reminded.

"But I have three Processors, I can't stop myself going wild..." Blitz Racer said and then blinked as Elita handed her a Data pad. "What's this?" 

"Read it while I tell you a story." Elita said and Blitz Racer carefully began to read its contents. "Several Cent-Cycles ago, a family unit of three were fleeing a ship, but their escape pod was captured and brought aboard the Decepticon ship, the Destroyer, captained by Galvatron himself. While the Unit was small, both Parents were high ranked Autobots and the daughter in training to become one." 

Subject;  
Hound, Sire.  
Autobot Scout Master and Holo projectionist,  
Rank; Elite.  
Broken optical units due to mass Eletronic surges repeatedly. Dislocated and disfigured of all armour plating and panels and internal frame structures from multiple repeated beatings. Tearing of the port lining and cutting along the cable. Multiple cuts and stabbings to chest, back, and stomach plating.  
Status;  
M.I.A 

"Rather than following the code and releasing the child in a stasis pod with an SOS beacon the Cons kept all three prisoners." Elita continued, "The child was never physically touched or spoken too by any Decepticons, however it was not until after their escape that the child was properly checked."

Subject;  
Mirage, Carrier.  
Autobot Stealth Master and Assassin,  
Rank; Elite.  
Broken optical units due to mass Eletronic surges repeatedly. Fryed otter Spark energy from contaminated tools. Dislocated and disfigured of all armour plating and panels and internal frame structures from multiple repeated beatings. Repeated healing and tearing of the port lining and cutting along the cable. Signs of Bitlet abortion due to lack of energon reserves.  
Status;  
Online.

"The Decepticons had installed a cerebral shell into the child's helm, so even with her optics off line she would see what her parents were going through." Elita explained. "While at first we thought nothing had happened to her, we couldn't stop the replaying images until after we reached a medic with the skill to remove the shell."

Subject;  
Comet Trail, Youngling, final stage of growth.  
Autobot in training.  
Rank; None.  
Circular hole in back of helm, below helmet line. Shell removed.  
Status;  
Online

"She saw all of it happen." Blitz Racer realized, "Over and over again... she watched them torture and rape her parents. Saw what they went through and she- she wasn't hurt at all?"

"By their own laws, the Cons cannot hurt any mech or femme under the age of 25 Cent-Cycles. Comet Trail, at the time was only 15," Elita explained. "You'd think it had scared her enough to make her terrified of the cons, but instead it enraged her, they tortured her parents but they said and did nothing to her and Comet Trail's metal state was already fragile. Despite the best efforts of our therapists and medics, we couldn't repair the damage done, so now every time Comet Trail sees another Autobot in danger and she feels she can help, even if it could kill her, she will throw herself in the way to spare them any pain."

"But... I still don't understand... Towerlings don't fight in the war, they all ran off," Blitz Racer said.

"Mirage, Tracks, Perceptor, Rung, Wheeljack, Silverstreak, Bluestreak, and I are all Towerlings." Elita-one stated.

"What!?"

Elita chuckled, "Not all Towerlings are high and pompous as Senator Ratbat was my dear. Some of us were just as happy to go out and enjoy the work of every day with our fellow mechs and femmes."

"But... But you’re nothing like the Towerlings."

"Because we didn’t let the glamour, glitter, vanity, credits and narcissistic pull of the high life consume us." Elita assured. "You and Comet Trail might find you have a lot in common, if you took the time to sit and get to know her."

"I don't think she'd liked that much." Blitz Racer said shamefully.

Elita smiled and lightly ruffled her adopted daughter's helm. "Just try and talk to her, Blitz, believe me, right now, what she needs is friends who understand."

"I'll try, ma'am." She assured.

~@~@~@~@~@~

War changes people. Mirage knew that from the moment he had been dragged into the Senate War. 

He'd watched friends who had been timid and shy become out going and adventures, he'd seen the so called 'brave' become cowardly weaklings running for their lives screaming.

He had left that war a changed mech, with a tiny life inside him and a Mate who loved him no matter his standing and together, they had made a home and a safe little place for themselves and their tiny blessing. They loved each other and when she had been born, his world had been complete.

But now, it was shattered.

His mate had planned and executed their escape from the Destroyer, and while it had broken his spark to see his daughter crying, clawing at the glass of the escape pod to try and pull her Sire into it with them, he had been no better when the Destroyer went up in flames moments later and his spark had erupted with pain and sorrow.

It hurt even more now that his daughter was missing, his only blessing from his mate that had survived so much, was now out there alone and at the mercy of the mech who had hurt them all so long ago.

"MEDICS!!!!" The cry came from a very panicked and frightened Tracks as he raced down the halls towards Medical bay, Comet Trail in his arms, barely online and struggling to breath as she clutched something in her servos as she was carried past her Carrier.

"Get her on the berth!"  
"Bring the Spark stabilizers!"

"Get out of my way!" Mirage snarled as he shoved Ironhide aside to get to Medical bay. "Comet Trail!?" 

"Keep him out!" First Aid yelled as the doors slammed and locked everyone but the medics out.

"Comet Trail!?!" Mirage screamed slamming his fists against the doors, "Comet Trail answer me!!"

"She's in the best hands we have Mirage." Elita-one assured gently pulling the mech away from the doors. "Let them work." She added and Mirage sank to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest as he tried to see through the walls to his daughter.

No one tried to move him.

Hours past and eventually, the doors opened and First Aid stepped out and gently put a hand to Mirage's shoulder. "She's stable, but it'll take a while for her to heal."

"Did he...?"

"No," First Aid shook his helm, "He beat her, but he didn’t rape her. I don't even think he remembers who she is, the reformat was enough to change her signature and make her a totally new femme."

"Reformat?" Elita-one asked.

"We had her reformatted to a new body after the attack to spare her any chance of the Cons who tortured me coming after her as well." Mirage said. "It was Hound's idea... before he..."

"He's alive." All optics fell on Comet Trail as she limped out of the medical bay. "Sire IS alive." She insisted, showing her Carrier what she had been clutching in her servo as if it proves her words.

Mirage looked at the item and then looked at Comet Trail. "Did you see him?"

"How do you think I got away?" She asked. "He saved me-oh!"

"Whoa there." First Aid said catching the femme before she could fall. "Back to the berth with you now, you need to rest." 

"But Sire's out there somewhere..."

"We'll find him Comet Trail." Elita-one assured. "Go rest now."

~@~@~@~@~@~

"You can't keep hiding from them." His companion said as he finished his share of the meal.

"I know." He sighed, wiping the energon from his lips, mindful of his fangs.

"Then go to them."

"I can't... what will she think of me when she sees me? What will Mirage think of me?" He asked looking at himself in the pool of coolet. "I'm a monster."

"They are your Child and Mate, Hound, the longer you put this off, the harder it will be for you to resist the need to be with them again." His companion reminded. "Eventually they will find out, and then you will have no choice but to go to them all, Monster or not."

"I know..."

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

"May I sit?"

Comet Trail looked up from her Data pad to see Blitz Racer stood by her table. "Sure."

"What are you working on?"

Comet Trail smiled. "Promise not to tell my Carrier?" She asked and then slid the data pad over to Blitz Racer.

Who blinked and then gave her a shocked look. "Really? Hyo and An?"

"What they work together, and don't tell me you never thought there was more too it with how close they are." Comet Trail smiled. 

"I admit to nothing." Blitz Racer said, "But I am curious, what’s you view on the relationship with the bike cop and the boss?"

"Oh please, give me control of the script and those two would be in the berth by now." Comet Trail chuckled. "You like the new mech they brought in?"

"The kid with the bombs or the big mech with the sword?"

"Both." Comet Trail nodded.

"Meh, bomb kid is a big young, but might work if they bring the Ninja's back in, but the sword's not been there long enough to really get a read on." Blitz Racer said, "You seen any other works from Sunrise and Family?"

"I have every series on disks but I am missing the last episode of King's Final."

"I think I have it on disk somewhere."

"Subs?" Comet asked.

"As if I trust the dubs to be loyal to the truth." Blitz chuckled, "So... about before."

"Hey I get it." Comet Trail smiled, "I'm a Towerling and most of us are snotty brattish and have lots of credits, but trust me, just because I got the hips to make a Pleasure bot blush, doesn't mean I can't huff it with the regular crowd."

"You sure you're not mad?" Blitz Racer asked.

"Darling if I were mad, I would agree with the folks who think animal features of fully Cybertronian bots was an offensive insult to Botanica and pray twenty times a day that Primus forgave my every bad thought and stopped Unicron's horse mech." Comet Trail chuckled, "besides, insanity is fun."

"You know," Blitz Racer smiled. "I think this is the start of a very good friendship."

"As long as your sister doesn't paint me pink and yellow, we're fine." Comet Trail smiled back.


	2. 1

1

Comet Trail loved Earth.

It was everything she'd ever wanted to see on an organic world. Lush green areas with millions and billions of colourful flowers and seeds, animals and insects and natives that thrived in so many places.

It was beautiful.

"Enjoying the view?"

"You aren't?" Comet Trail asked with a smile to her companion.

"I admit to nothing," Blitz Racer chuckled. "So, what’s the duty for today?"

"Same old, search for and hopefully find relics or energon, send them to Optimus, go home and make sure Blighty and Hot Rod didn't set any prank traps for us." The other femme smiled. 

"Knowing them, they'd set them under our berths again." Blitz Racer chuckled. 

"Even after you nearly froze Hot Rod's peds to the floor and made him listen to medical code 101?"

"I admit and deny nothing." Blitz chuckled.

"Good thing I have it recorded," Comet Trail smiled, "So you have plans tonight?" She asked.

"Besides reports? No. Why?"

"I may or may not have heard about a race happening near us and I may or may not be planning on sneaking out to join in," Comet Trail said.

"I'll cover, it's not like anyone ever checks in with us during the week." Blitz assured with a chuckle. "Just make sure you win the Race and get home before sunrise, or Elita will know somethings up."

"My dear you are talking to the daughter of an assassin, I never get caught." Comet Trail reminded.

The two shared a laugh and continued to drive on until they reached a small rundown and dilapidated gas station they drove into the open workshop and down a ramp into the slightly large underground garage, hearing the old doors gave a horrid groaning sound and the shut behind them and then with a soft hum and a gentle jerk, the floor of the garage began to fall at a steady pace and came to rest a good way down into the earth.

It came to a stop with a heavy clang and a second door was opened to allow them both out of the lift and they drove around to the main gathering area, coming face to face with another Transformer, stood a proud head taller than anyone else on her team, with a perfect face plate, unmarred by scars or dents, delicately crafted crystal optics and gentle pale lips, decorated in soft pink and white armour and a proudly warn Autobot insignia on her shoulders.

Elita-One, Femme commander of the Autobots, Carrier of Hot Rod, and Mate to the Autobot Leader Optimus Prime.

"Welcome back Comet Trail. Blitz Racer." The Female Commander nodded, though she sounded distant and detracted by something she was reading.

"Ma'am?" Blitz Racer asked as she transformed from her Jaguar Vehical form, standing to Elita-one’s shoulder she showed a slightly dulled face plate with sharp blue optiocs, though anyone who knew her was aware that the colour changed depending on which of her personas was most dominant.

Her armour, though silver and black was like Elita’s, built to be powerful and strong, to protect her from heavy impacts, but due to her lower rank and younger age, the armour was shaped to fit and show off the femme frame just a little more than the Commander’s. 

"I have been given some dreadful news," Elita-one said. "Please, wait until the others are gathered."

"Yes ma'am." Comet Trail nodded after she also Transformers, her left optic hidden beneath a visor and a few dents spotted around her cheeks and chin that she hadn’t gotten around to seeing the medic about. She like Blitz Racer was only as tall as Elita’s shoulder, but she had a far more reviling black and red armour, showing off the tell-tale curves of an expensive frame from the towers, beneath the armour. 

The two femmes sat at the table, well they used it as a table, it was really just an up turned broken satellite dish the humans had allowed them to borrow with some crates placed around it to act as chairs. Blitz Racer sat beside her friend and the two busied themselves with some reports that had been left for them to read over, pausing when a gruff and heavy voice came drifting from further in the base, accompanied by a much younger and smoother female voice.

"Sounds like Kup's got a wire jammed again." Blitz Racer said as a large mech came into the room, covered in old camouflage paint that was starting to chip and fade in some places, a cy-gar held between his teeth as he was fussed over by Night Blight, the youngest member of the team and also the medical officer.

At Blitz Racer’s request, Night Blight was in the thickest Armour for her frame, offering her the very best protection from all sides, and thanks to Comet Trail’s former place in the Towers, Night Blight was also equipped with the finest shield generator in her hands, giving her and her patients added protection when she was in the field. Her face was still round with youth, but she was strong enough to carry three times her own weight, and unlike most medics, she had sharpened fingers, giving her the added benefit to simply poke a wire or pressure point to make her patients sleep if they got restless.

"I'm fine lass, really."

"You are not! You busted your hand up with that last fight you got into and you are not going back into the field until I say its fixed!" Night Blight huffed sternly, "Now sit down and keep still."

Comet Trail chuckled. "Even Ratchet would be scared." She said and ducked the glare she got from the young medic. “Teasing deary, just teasing.” 

“I will enact Ratchet’s best wrench throwing technic.” Night Blight warned.

“Ah but if you did that,” Comet Trail smirked lifting her hand to show a small puppy in her palms. “Scruffs would be hurt too.”

“You sneaky little-”

“Girls please,” Elita-one said and Comet Trail placed down the small dog as Hot Rod, a flame painted Camaro arrived at last and transformed. "I know I don't often call you all together, but we have been sent a report from Optimus to update us on the situation."

"Has something happened?" Hot Rod asked taking a seat between Kup and Comet Trail, lightly using his finger tip to pet Scruffs as the dog came to him, tail wagging in greeting.

"Cliff Jumper has been killed." Elita-One said grimly. “And Megatron himself has returned to the Nemesis.”

“Well ain’t that just cold slag.” Kup huffed. “What are your orders Ma’am?”

“Effective immediately, we will be moving to join Optimus and his team in Jasper.” The femme commander stated. “Pack your things and leave nothing here that could be traced back to us if the cons somehow stumble upon this location.”

“Um… Ma’am, is there going to be enough room for us all there?” Comet Trail asked, “I mean, we are only five, but Prime’s team base is the same size as this one.” she remarked, it wasn’t really crowded for them, everyone had enough space to call their own and it was a cosy settlement.

To move out and then dump themselves on Optimus’s base would mean over crowding and that meant tensions with everyone.

“We will work it out, Comet Trail.” Elita-one assured. “But right now our concern is safety and numbers, according to the report Optimus sent us,” She paused for a moment and handed out the data pads with the relevant information on it, “Not only has Megatron returned, but he had brought with him the Blood of Unicron himself, and while most of it is gone, the fact Dark Energon has found its way to earth is enough to warrant action.”

“Sparks.” Night Blight shuddered. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Nothing Ratchet couldn’t fix.” Elita assured softly at the young medic’s concerned look. “Due to this new intel and because Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee are now going to be protecting three human children as well as their normal duties, we are needed to keep patrols strong and also make a show of power against the cons.”

“Not that it’ll do much.” Kup sighed heavily, “Even with our help, we are only ten bots, eleven if you count the kid.” He added nodding to Night Blight, “Against Primus knows how many cons on bucket head has on that ship of his.”

“My sister is just as capable of fighting as you or me.” Blitz Racer hissed.

“And we’re not bitlets, we can fight.” Comet Trail reminded firmly.

“Kup and I will speak alone. The rest of you go pack.” Elita-one dismissed with no room to argue. With a sigh, the four younger bots headed out to their rooms, leaving the two adults to their talk. “You know better than to push them.”

“Aye, but someone has to be the voice of reality for them, and they respect you too much to have to hear it from you, Ma’am.” Kup sighed. “So, how bad is it really?”

“Very bad.” Elita sighed. “Ratchet’s limited with his tools and equipment, even with the help Agent Fowler has offered us, and now with three human children involved in this mess its just not looking as hopeful as we’d like.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Kup said, “Between you and Optimus, you always think of something that works.” He assured with a small smile before he headed off to pack his own room up.

Elita-one sighed and leant back against her console, thinking carefully over everything once again.

After Cybertron had gone dark, the Cybertronian race remained at war, dragging their battle to the stars of their galaxy and beyond until they had become so widely spread that the war was now being fought on several fronts, Megatron’s finest high ranked generals some of his officers fighting against Autobot bands throughout the stars, teams and units that could had stayed together to form a block, keeping what forces they could at a distance.

But it had not stopped Megatron and his ship following the Ark to this beautiful world, destroying the ship and while some of the crew had escaped in shuttles, others had not left their friends to die in the wreckage and stood their ground to buy others time to escape the gunfight.

It had been during that fight that Elita saw her son and two adopted daughters truly fight against the waves of Con drones, like a well-trained, well-rehearsed dance that only they knew the steps too while Comet Trail took well practiced shots at the incoming seekers, shooting them down before they could get close enough to do damage. 

They had escaped together, Comet Trail covering their retreat with her smokescreen and after a long, difficult talk, Optimus had ordered her, Kup, Hot Rod, Comet Trail, Blitz Racer and Night Blight to keep a distance from himself and his own team in hopes that the Decepticons would not target them as often and give the bots a separate team who would search for the relics without drawing attention to themselves as well as searching out Energon mines and tunnels the Decepticons were missing because they were still so small.

There had not been such an easy time for everyone however, teams of Decepticon Hunters sought the younglings for their links to Optimus Prime and Comet Trail was hunted by some of the worse Cons Megatron called soldiers because it had been her hands that killed many a high ranked Decepticon Commander until at last, Megatron had left to seek out the Blood of Unicron some years later and for a time, life had been calm and easy for the team she had, finding smaller relics with ease and keeping them safe until Optimus made a monthly visit to them and collected the relics for safety.

But now he had returned with his prize, almost bringing down the wrath of all Cybertron’s dead on Earth. Now he was once again ruling the Decepticons. And even more worrying, Megatron seemed focus on finding the Iacon relics once again.

Primus have mercy.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Agent Fowler was not a harsh man, he liked to think he was fair, firm and that he didn’t asked the Autobots for much.

Stay out of sight of Humans.

It hadn’t been so hard, really and the kids had only found out about them by pure chance, but now, they were about to be introduced to another team of bots and Agent Fowler, no matter how much he disliked this job sometimes, had to insure they were also up to date with all the regulations and laws so they did not start and international media frenzy.

He arrived at the base just in time to catch the tail end of Optimus talking about how the space would be limited, but they would manage it.

“They here yet?” he asked.

“Not yet Agent Fowler, they are not.” Optimus assured as the kids stayed out of the way near where Ratchet was working away as usual trying to locate either energon or relics. “They have already scanned a suited alternate mode and have been told what has happened to cause this sudden move, but I am unsure as to weather they have already encountered other humans themselves yet.”

“So they’ve only ever met Agent Fowler?” Jack asked.

“Indeed.” Optimus nodded. “The Commander of this unit is my spark mate, and one of the soldiers with her is our son. The rest of her unit are the finest in their fields and while they may be young, they have each faced great personal battles and come back stronger and better for them.”

“Optimus.” Ratchet called, “Incoming request for ground bridge.”

“Granted.” Optimus nodded. “Autobots Prepare for new arrivals.” He added with a nod as the ground bridge opened up and after a moment, a rustic greenish black flatbed truck rolled into view, its rear bed covered by a huge tarp that instantly caught everyone’s eye and optics, just as a flame painted low riding Camaro pulled in and parked itself neatly in place beside the flatbed.

Then came a newer model Volkswagen that was painted to look like a medical emergency vehicle and Ratchet smiled in relief as if recognizing the other even though they had not yet transformed to show their face. 

The last vehicle to arrive was a large Range Rover with a pink and white body.

“Optimus Prime.” The Range Rover answered and then with a silent command, she began to shift and change into her robot form, standing only a head shorter than Optimus, “It has been a long time.” 

“Too long, my dear.” The Prime admitted offering his hand to the female and smiling as she gripped it in the normal Solider greeting. “And your team?” he asked.

“Our medic, Night Blight.” The Volkswagen began twisting and turning slowly into the form of a curved femme frame like Arcee, but clearly younger and her armour was much thicker and made to protect.

“Sir.” The medic greeted with a small salute. Then quickly removed the large box from the flat bed truck and set it down carefully. The flat bed gave a groaning huff and a sigh as his body shifted and sparked slightly as he transformed. 

“Prime.” He greeted with a gruff huff and nodded as he placed what looked like a rusted transformer sized rifle round in his mouth and the end burned red hot. 

“Old friend.” Optimus nodded.

Elita smiled as the Camaro changed forms, “Hot Rod, one of our Scouts.”

“Sir.”

“And we also have another member.” Elita stated.

“A new Autobot?” Optimus asked.

“No, more a small creature from earth who refused to let us leave without him.” Elita smiled and Night Blight opened her side compartment to let a small brown and white dog jump into her palm. “He found his way into our base one night and has been staying with us ever since.”

The dog gave a small shake of its fur then jumped down to the raised plat form Night Blight had placed her hand near and made its way to the humans, happily wagging its tail as it sat down before them and tried to offer them its paw.

“Aw, he’s house trained.” Miko smiled and knelt down, gently petting the dog’s head and back. “Does he have a name?”

“We call him Scruffs,” Night Blight smiled, “He’s always messing up his fur, even after we groom him.”

“We?” Kup asked.

“Sorry, when Kup grooms him.” The medic chuckled. “He followed Kup home one night and after a long talk and a little research, we found out he was a stray and took him in.” 

“He looks like a Collie pup.” Jack said looking over the dog as Miko and Raf fussed him.

“He is.” Hot Rod smiled. “Comet Trail used her holo form to get him checked.”

“After you begged Elita to let us keep him.” Kup chuckled.

“You wanted to keep him too.” Hot Rod reminded.

“As Comet Trail and Blitz Racer say, I admit nor deny nothing.” Kup smiled. “So, who are the three tiny humans?” he added. “I thought we were strictly on the low down?”

“We are. They found out about us purely by accident.” Optimus smiled and explained why Jack, Miko and Raf had become caught up in the fight against the Cons and why there was now a need to have these new bots on the base.

“So Cliff’s really gone?” Hot Rod asked. “Scrap.”

“And Megatron?” Elita-one asked. “He’s back and staying here to find relics?” 

“I am afraid so.” Optimus nodded. “Your efforts?” he asked.

Elita nodded to the box Kup had been carrying. “Everything we have is in there,” she assured. “Comet Trail and Blitz Racer were on the hunt for another one when the message came in you needed us. They insisted on trying to find it before they followed up here.” She smiled softly.

After a few minute introducing everyone properly and making sure the rules were clear to everyone, Agent Fowler left the base to finish other work, leaving the kids and bots to bond.

“So, how come we didn’t hear about any of you before?” Miko asked.

“My team and I search for the deadlier relics from Iacon’s vaults that may have turned up here.” Elita one said, “some of them could very easily bring great harm upon the Earth if they fell into Megatron’s hands. And we also search out Decepticon sleeper agents and smaller hunting groups and energon deposits.”

“Sleepers like Skyquake?” Arcee asked.

“We never located him, but we have managed to find sixteen others worldwide.” Hot Rod said checking off a list he had with him, “We insure they would remain in lock down even if they were given the usual cube to wake up the systems. As for the hunting groups, we’ll never have to face the Duple Ganger twins, the Ram brothers or Overlord again thanks to CT-Ow, Blight what was that for?!” 

“Overlord?” Ratchet asked in some shock as Hot Rod rubbed his helm where Night Blight had struck him.

Elita-One sighed heavily. “Comet Trail faced him, alone.” She explained, “She and her Carrier were looking for clues about her sire and Overlord caught them…We don’t know what happened and Come Trail refuses to talk about it.”

“Who was Overlord?” Raf asked.

“Overlord was Megatron’s most twisted and most brutal enforcer, a giant mech built to torture and kill without remorse, empathy or care for those he hurt, Megatron tamed him somehow and in the final days of Cybertron’s evacuation, Overlord was turned lose on the Autobots. We lost thousands to him, but somehow, Comet Trail defeated him, something not even Optimus in the past had come close to doing, but she refuses to speak of the event.” Kup explained.

~ “Blitz Racer to ANYONE! We need back up and I mean YESTERDAY!” ~ A panicked call came over the commlinks suddenly. ~ “Elita-One?! Hot Rod?! Frag it!!! Someone answer me!!!” ~

~@~@~@~@~@~

Comet Trail was in her element, not that she would ever admit it to her commander, but she enjoyed the fighting. Especially when the drones Megatron kept sending at them were at least able to fight back with some kind of skill. 

And now and then, she got the real challenge of fighting a Con who had more skill. 

Right now, she was fighting Breakdown, using all the years of training she’d had with her sire and Carrier to keep out of his reach and also land enough hits to make him feel the pain. She knew Blitz had taken of to get a comm out, so she just had to stall and hope to Primus that no Con notice she didn’t have the relic they wanted and was just the distraction. 

A flash of midnight blue and Comet Trail forced herself to back flip, feeling the edge of the shot skim the air where she had been, she kept the flip going and landed with her eyes focused on the small air born weapon.

Ratbat, slag that meant Soundwave was in the area and, oh frag there was the big mech himself! Time to leave.

“Stop her!” Breakdown roared as Comet Trail hit the ground rolling.

“Blitzy dear tell me you got a signal out?” she asked over the privet channel seeing the Cons give chase as she burned rubber.

~ “Working on it!” ~

“Work faster! Soundwave is on my aft! Along with the brute Breakdown and some drones!” 

~ “Frag.” ~

Comet Trail felt something on her tail and at the last second swung herself to the left, watching the blue brute that was Breakdown’s Vehicle form ram himself of the road. “Watch the paint job! I paid good credits for this finish!” she snapped in a fake insult.

“Incoming!” Came the warning cry and Comet Trail let herself slide under the shot from the large air born seeker and join Blitz Racer as they raced down the hard tarmac of the only good road around. “Scrap me with rust shavings this is NOT what I meant when I said we needed more of a challenge!”

“Told you it was a jink!” Comet Trail laughed. “Put the speed down Fem! We can out drive these bolt-brains.”

“And if not?” Blitz Racer asked as they dodged a few more shots and seemed to lose the cons behind some rocks as the road reached a freeway. 

“Then you can give me your nightshifts and take my days.” 

“Deal- Watch out!!” 

The two sped up as much as they could but it wasn’t enough to stop the burn of the shot that had just missed them catching their wheels, making them swerve and almost wreck. “Fragger!” Comet Trail hissed as they struggled back into a straight run. “I just waxed this morning!!!”

“It’s Soundwave’s bitlet again.” Blitz hissed. “We gotta get out of the open.”

~ “One fast exit coming up in three, two, one!” ~ Hot Rod’s voice assured and like a dream, the Ground bridge opened ahead of the two femmes, ~ “Hurry!” ~

“We’re hurrying, Hots We’re hurrying!” Comet Trail assured as Blitz Racer pulled head of her. “Make space!”

Blitz Racer saw the shot coming but had no time to react as Comet Trail’s rear right tire was struck by the shot from Ratbat and without any other way to go, Comet Trail’s vehicle form began to cartwheel aft over helm and all Blitz Racer could do to avoided crashing herself was speed up, entering the Grand bridge with a loud curse in Cybertronian as Comet Trail forced herself to transform and roll with the momentum she had into the bridge after her seconds before it closed.

The kids were wisely out of the way as a black and silver Jaguar raced into the base, followed by a tumbling Autobot femme. Blitz Racer skidded to a stop inches from crashing into Kup as Comet Trail crashed into the side of the bridge with a heavy and painful yell clutching her right shoulder and cursing violently in cybertronian. 

“CT!”  
“Blitz Racer what happened?” Elita-one barked as Night Blight quickly rushed to help the bleeding bot.

“We found the relic, but then the cons found us, Breakdown and some drones.” Blitz Racer said, “CT held them off while I tried to call for help but then Soundwave showed up and we made tracks, but he managed to hit Comet Trail.”

“It’s just a graze-OW! Scrap that hurts!” Comet Trail tried to assure only to have her whole arm give a nasty spark as Night Blight worked on the damage.

“Keep still and don’t fuss.” The young medic huffed.

“What relic is it?” Hot Rod asked.

“Not a clue.” Comet Trail said. “Small blueish green thing with funny looking jewels on the sides and a fancy looking energon lock.”

“Do you have it?” 

“In my trunk space.” Blitz Racer said, “I can’t transform with it in there.” She added as Arcee carefully removed the large box like shape from her car boot and at last Blitz Racer was able to transformer from her vehicle form and help Comet Trail stand up again as well, “How bad?” 

“It’s nothing.” Comet Trail said then winced. “Ow.”

“Hush.” Night Blight told her, “It’ll need a few hours of work, but I can fix it.”

“So, does that mean I’m not on night shift tonight?”

“We need to have a talk.” Optimus stated softly but firmly and Comet Trail winced again this time, not because she was under the medics care.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“So Elita-One and her team are still not deactivated.” Megatron stated as Soundwave played back his recordings. “Did I not dispatch Overlord to deal with them?”

Soundwave nodded and then after a moment of typing showed Megatron the footage that had been saved from the footage on Cybertron.

Overlord, a huge mech who towered over Megatron even when slouched in a chair, stood over a broken mess that had likely been someone who meant a great deal to the femme that suddenly charged the huge con.

Suicide even for a Decepticon. 

And yet, this Autobot femme was fast enough and apparently enraged enough to shock Overlord and thus he couldn’t react in time to stop the claw like digits ripping into his thick armour, cutting wires, fuel lines and throat platings open and getting coated in the Decepticon killer’s energon. 

The femme went at the monstrous mech with pure rage and no clear self-preservation instinct as she ripped at him with her bear hands, then with a primal screech she dived at his spark chamber and ripped the shocked con’s spark out, squeezing it out in her energon stained hand.

Elita-one arrived moments later to see the femme clutching the broken mess that Megatron now realized was the Autobot Mirage, a sniper and assassin who had earned the respect of many of his own snipers and sharp shooters for his skill, meaning that the femme holding him now was… Yes Comet Trail, he remembered her now, a femme child tortured by Galvatron’s men before her sire Hound was killed. 

“Comet Trail… What happened?” Elita-one asked.

The younger femme gave no answer. And the footage cut off.

“She still functions?” Megatron asked and Soundwave nodded showed his lord the morning’s chase of Comet Trail and another femme bot of Elita’s team.

“Continue to monitor them.” Megatron ordered and dismissed the silent mech with a small wave.

Soundwave nodded and walked away. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

“You took down the most feared Decepticon killer alone, and you never thought to report that?” Optimus asked.

“I don’t even remember it.” Comet Trail lied.

“Comet Trail you know better than to lie.” Ratchet snipped and stepped forwards. 

The femme backed up a step and kept her helm low, arms crossed at her waist and her dental’s gritted, the very image of ‘back the frag off’ if Optimus had ever seen it. Comet Trail did remember, he knew that, but he also knew that she didn’t want to have this talk with them. 

She didn’t want to talk about it at all.

“Ratchet.” Elita-one softly and the old medic moved away from Comet Trail. “She’s not going to tell you. She refuses to speak of it to anyone, even in confidence she hasn’t told Blitz Racer and Night Blight and they have a no secrete rule.”

“She’s lying about not remembering it.” Ratchet asserted. 

“And she will keep lying about it.” Night Blight stated and Comet Trail felt the welcome weight of Blitz Racer’s arms over her shoulders while Night Blight flopped against her left side. “You all seem to have forgotten we were all under a lot of stress at the time and she got rid of one of the most powerful cons on Megatron’s side, so if you ask me, that is a reason to just leave her be about it.”

“I agree.” Hot Rod stated. “So she might have snapped and done a bad thing, haven’t any of you gone off the rails once or twice?” he added.

“It isn’t about snapping or going off the rails.” Elita-one stated, ever the voice of reason between the younger bots and their high ups. “Its about being held accountable for actions taken, we all know in the long run Comet Trail did the Autobots and maybe some Decepticons a favour, but without a details account of what happened, we can’t say for certain if he is dead.”

“He is.” Comet Trail snapped sharply. “That’s all you need to know. he’s gone, well and truly not in the name of the 13 coming back. End of story.”

“Meeting over? Because we kinda have plans.” Blitz Racer added and then easily pulled the willing Comet Trail out of the room.

“I owe you.” Comet Trail said, she would tell them, one day, when it wasn’t so hard to look back at the memory on her own and instantly feel the tears starting to form.

“Nah, you just gotta switch patrols with Night Blight so she can spend time with Bee tomorrow and we’re even.” Blitz Racer smiled with a wink. “You get the late shift with Bulkhead if you do.”

Comet Trail smiled. “Tell her it’s a deal and she starts at five am sharp.” 

“Done and done.”


	3. 2

2

The kids, for the most part, were rather fascinated by the new bots. Night Blight wasn’t as scary as Ratchet to approach at first and she was very, very careful when she drove the kids to their school when their guardians could do it. She was also very interested in some of the school projects and unlike Ratchet she had a little more Earth knowledge to help out and offered to go with the kids to gather information for homework studies.

Hot Rod LOVED the kids. 

He was always the first to offer them a ride out if their guardians were busy with patrols and he was NEVER too busy with his tasks to answer a question or help Jack and Miko with a hard level boss on a game or with homework. He was also very good at helping Bumblebee with his once HUGE work load giving the other Camaro time to spend with his charge without fear of the Decepticons capturing or hurting them.

Blitz Racer, despite her seemingly shy nature at first, was fast to come around and share a few good pranks with Miko while also making sure Raf never had any issues with any bullies after she caught wind there was an older boy in the school making trouble for him and Jack. She was also very good at computers and within a few hours of properly being introduced to how the system worked for the base she’d improved it and the com channel security tenfold.

With a little help from Raf and a few little patches from Comet Trail too.

Speaking of Comet Trail, she was by far the most elusive of the new bots, but she was never openly rude or standoffish to the children, though it took a few weeks before Raf came to understand she wasn’t avoiding them as he had first thought, It was just the way Comet Trail was, she didn’t like to be around others so much because she wasn’t comfortable sitting still and relaxing when there was a work load to be finished off.

When he ask why she didn’t want to stop and take a moment to herself she’d just smiled and lightly ruffled his hair with her fingertip and said it was just the way she’d been raised, you didn’t stop and rest just because one job was done when there were four more to finish. 

And true to her words, once the base was secured and the last of the seemingly ENDLESS jobs of improvements were done, Comet Trail started to just appear more around the base, always polite and always respectful, even when Ratchet was snappish about her just sitting around looking fancy, she’d smile and remind him she was the most beautiful femme in the room besides Elita-one and Ratchet would huff and shake his helm.

Then Night Blight and Blitz would start teasing Comet Trail and the three would end up laughing themselves silly while talking in Cybertronian, and if Hot Rod was with them, oh you couldn’t get them to stop laughing for at least an hour.

It was enough to bring a truly genuine smile to Ratchet and Optimus’s faces, though Kup would usually huff and shake his help, Miko caught his smiling a fair few times at the young bots’ antics. The Old mech was just that, OLD. Older than Ratchet and by far older than even anyone in Megatron’s forces, but he was gentle in his old age, usually spending his time helping Optimus and Elita with Planetary scans or doing reports, as his old joins would not hold him in a fight anymore.

Not that he didn’t have some years of wisdom and advice to give, and soon enough it was clear that when Elita was busy, the younger bots went looking for Kup to help them with their training and sparring matches.

The sparring matches that the kids were now allowed to see, since Elita-One made it a deal that as long as one of the bots was there to keep the kids out of any kind of danger and explain the reasons for the moves that were taught, the kids were allowed in the once off-limits room.

Usually it was Ratchet, Optimus, Elita or even Kup who kept the kids safe, while Comet Trail, Blitz Racer, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Hot Rod and Night Blight sparred, showing a wide range of skills that the children hadn’t yet seen them use, like Arcee’s swords, Bumblebee’s axe, and then there were the claws on Comet Trail and the speed she and Arcee went at when they sparred made Jack dizzy.

But there was never any real injury to anyone, unless it was Blitz Racer and Comet Trail sparring. The two of them went all out on each other, throwing the rules to the side and actually brawling like Con verse Bot and sometimes, they really hurt each other.

But then, when it was over the winner would help the loser to Night Blight and stay with them until they were fixed. 

“Why do they do that?” Miko asked.

“Its just something they do,” Elita-one said, “Both of them have a higher tolerance for pains, developed over their years in our ranks, however this sometimes means that they feel numb and the lack of feeling makes them uneasy. To counter act it, we allow them time to feel pains again and then they relax again.”

“So it’s like a kinda of pain therapy?” Jack asked.

“Something like that.” Optimus nodded. “They are both young enough to heal their injuries alone, but they share a close bond between friends that is hard to break, that is why no matter who wins their sparring matches, they will always help each other to the medic.”

Scruffs gave a soft bark suddenly and Hot Rod smiled, “Someone needs a walk.” He said seeing the small leash in Scruffs teeth as the dog sat behind Raf with a little wag of his tail. “Looks like he wants Raf to take him.” 

“I’ll take you out,” Comet Trail smiled. “I don’t have a patrol til midnight, so we can take a nice long walk.”

Scruffs barked happily as Raf smiled and attached his leash to the dog’s collar and after Comet Trail transformed and let them in, they were off in a steady speed towards the open roads.

They ended up at a pretty little area, just outside of town, Raf playing fetch with Scruffs while Comet Trail waited at the side of the road for them to get tired, all the while keeping her scanners to max to alter her to any kind of danger that might come their way.

Eventually Scruffs was tired out and Raf carried the small dog back to Comet Trail and climbed into the passenger side rear seats and climbed in. “You guys really trained him well.” Raf smiled.

“He was easy to teach, it was just a case of making sure we could get him to the vet if needs be, so we made our Holoforms with a bit more matter to them, so we could at least shake hands and sign papers.” Comet Trail smiled as a woman appeared in her driver seat and went through the motions of starting to car. “We don’t use them often, but we do love to mess with some humans with them.”

“Can all of you make a Holoforms of yourselves?” Raf asked fastening his seat belt and clipping Scruff into his seat with a small doggie belt.

“We can but I think only Arcee’s has any long-term use.” She smiled.

“Can I ask you something about Blitz Racer?” Raf asked after a little while.

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“Its just, Blitz Racer seems to be really attached to Optimus.” Raf began and Comet Trail chuckled. “Is she related to him?” 

“Her and Night Blight were adopted by Optimus and Elita not long after the war broke out.” Comet Trail explained, “I don’t know the whole story of what happened and why, But Blitz and Blight’s real Sire and Carrier were not very kind to them and while its not my place to tell tales, the two of them were left with some serious emotional problems, it wasn’t until after she and Blight were adopted by Prime those issues started getting the right care, what with the War being on everyone’s mind a lot of the issues weren’t caught in time for others and we had a lot of trouble with some Autobots in later years because of the untreated traumas.”

“So, Blitz Racer relays on Optimus and Elita for stability?” Raf asked.

“Kinda.” Comet Trail smiled, “We all have our rocks in times of weakness, Blitz Racer goes to where she feels safest, Blight buries herself fin work, Hot Rod gets all glum and sleeps for a long time, Kup gets nasty and snappish. Its how we cope with it.”

“And you?” Raf asked.

Comet Trail sighed. “I… I get really stupid, I forget that people care about me and I just go head on into fights without thinking. Usually Blitz will keep me busy with sparring matches, but when she can’t I go do the dump slag like picking fights with Cons.”

~ “Very self-destructive of you.” ~ Elita-One’s voice said over the comms. ~ “What’s bothering you Comet Trail?” ~

“I have a bing on my Radar ma’am.” Comet Trail said and Raf looked back and all around to see what she meant. “Soundwave’s bitlet by the look of it. And where the bitlet is Soundwave isn’t usually far behind.”

~ “Keep Raf save, Blitz Racer and Hot Rod are on their way.” ~

“Yes ma’am.” Comet Trail assured and calmly parked herself up under cover. “Ok Raf, I know you’ve seen battles before, but this time I’m gonna lay down the rules, rule one, I say you run, you run like all things bad are on your little tail, Scruffs will look after you, so you don’t get lost. Rule two. Keep your self as quite and small as possible.” She said opening her door. “Out you get.”

Raf nodded and carried Scruffs out while she transformed, then, just as she had said, he curled up in a tight ball with the dog and let her place him safely inside a safe compartment on her chest, much like the one Bulkhead let Miko hide in now and then when they were caught out on a mission.

Once they reach a safe perch, she placed then two of them down again, digging a shallow pit that could hide them and placed a thick metal plate over it to protect them from any stray bullets or blasts. “Stay quiet, and keep as still as possible. You’ll be safe.” She promised.”

“Ok.” Raf nodded.

The femme smiled and took out her rifle, a long, delicate looking weapon that looked very well care for and well loved, she moved away from Raf’s hiding place and made sure he was nowhere near the firing position she took up before she laid down and tossed a blanket over herself as she used her rifle to watch the scene below them.

Hot Rod and Blitz Racer found Comet Trail a fair distance from the Decepticons, laid on her stomach with a long blanket over her form, watching and recording through the scope of her rifle as the silent mech below over saw some kind of digging efforts by the drones.

Soundwave stood with his back towards her, over seeing a huge digging operation in the pit beneath him, though none of her scanners showed her what it was the Decepticons were looking for. No relic, no energon, nothing.

“Report.” Whispered Blitz Racer.

“Sixteen Vehicons, Soundwave and his bitlet, no sign of anyone else yet. Raf and Scruffs are back that way about fifty yards.” The femme reported calmly. “They’re digging something big up, but I’m not sure if it’s a sleeper cell or a bunker of some kind.” 

“Could it be a trap?” Hot Rod asked.

“One way to find out.” Comet Trail said, moving the aim of her scope over each of the Vehicons. “Let’s see, click, clack, clang, my bullet goes…”

~ “Hold your fire.” ~ Comet Trail fought back the growl in her throat at the interruption.   
~ “How do you know its not an illusion?” ~ Ratchet added. ~ “Or that your shot won’t set of an explosion? Or that starting a Fight won’t get Raf injured?” ~

“Because I scanned the damn area twice and there is NOTHING here.” The sniper hissed. “And I made sure Raf was FAR away from the fighting. I’m not a bitlet rookie.”

“Let us do our job Ratchet.” Blitz Racer added.

~ “Your job is to watch and report back.” ~

“And take out Cons that just happen to be on our list of targets. That’s what Team Elita was set to do after we split from Team Prime.” Comet Trail snipped. “Get off the channel and let us work old mech.”

~ “Your Carrier-” ~

BANG.

“Show Time!” Blitz Racer laughed madly as she and Hot Rod charged at the now alerted Decepticons. “The Mute is mine!”

“Fine by me!” Hot Rod smiled, letting himself fall into a forwards flip and drive his heel hard into the face of the first con to get too close, using them as a spring board to get above the others and unload his pistols into them from above. 

Comet Trail turned off her commlink, moving her rifle easily and silently as she squeezed the trigger, taking out coms from a distance, she heard something near her and moved to avoid the sudden strike from Breakdown’s hammer. “You really don’t know when a femme doesn’t want your attention do you Breaky?”

“Can’t say any femme’s ever said no to me before,” Breakdown admitted with a smirk.

“Were they sober when you asked?” Comet Trail asked then moved at the last second to avoid the shock staff that would have hit her back. “Now it’s a party.”

“My dear you are a femme after my own spark, but I must say your choice is teams is lacking.” Knockout remarked twirling his staff while Comet Trail stashed her rifle and instead draw out her 

“Says the fly boy who ditched his wings for a Stunticon.” Comet Trail snipped and ducked the incoming hammer swing. “So predictable.” 

~@~@~@~@~@~

“It’s not her fault!” Night Blight all but snarled at Ratchet. “If you keep pushing her buttons she’ll snap again! For all our sakes, Leave CT alone.” And with that Night Blight was gone through the Ground Bridge. 

“Elita.”

“I know Optimus,” the femme commander stated firmly, “I will speak with Comet Trail alone, but for all our sakes please, do not press her until I have spoken to her.”

“Alright.” Optimus nodded. “Be safe.”

“I always am.” 

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Found the prize!” Hot Rod yelled suddenly, “It’s Motormaster!!”

“Aw, did we wreck a family reunion?” Blitz asked.

“Hey no stealing my dance partners.” Comet Trail warned sliding easily between Breakdown’s legs and rolling aside before Knockout could catch her with his staff. “Too slow!”

Hot Rod smirked as he heard a familiar engine on the approach and nodded. “Blight’s here.”

“Hurry your slow aft up sis!” Blitz Racer cackled, “You’re losing points!” she added never breaking form her fight with Soundwave, ducking and weaving between his strikes and his whisker like cables.

~ “Incoming!!!” ~ Night Blight yelled in warning before the whole area was bombarded with blasts from above.

“The whining Princess is here.” Comet Trail smirked and ducked as the Autobot Female commander slammed her mace into Breakdown’s face and kicked Knockout down the rocking slope after his team mate. “Ma’am.” She greeted.

“You are in hot slag when we get back to base young fem.” Elita told her firmly.

“Respectfully Ma’am,” Comet Trail said, “I don’t need a second Carrier or Sire.” And with that the black and silver femme charged down the rocks after the two Decepticons.

“Not so fast bitlet.” Hot Rod yelled catching Rat Bat in his hand firmly and tossing the small bat bot away from the sleeper cell. “Blight! Make with the locks!” 

“Working on it.” Night Blight assured quickly typing and altering wires as fast as her fingers could move. “This in here reset this and-”

“MOVE!” Comet Trail’s order came seconds before the cell began to spark and fizz with power. “Blight! Hots! Get back!” 

“How the frag is this bastard getting up?!” Hot Rod demanded pulling Night Blight out of the danger zone.

“A little trick we started to implement after you so kindly shut off our normal access points.” Knockout spoke up. “There is more than one way to get Energon into a sleeper cell after all.”

“Well, slag’s about to get real.” Comet Trail smirked.

“No.” Elita ordered, scooping Raf and Scruffs up with one hand. “All of you back to base. NOW!” she added leaving no room for argument as she unleashed several large and powerful rockets from her back and shoulders.

“You heard the boss,” Hot Rod told Comet Trail, “Come on!” 

Comet Trail growled, but obeyed, letting Elita get behind her to make sure she followed orders while Blitz Racer was fussed over by her sister.

The trip back to the Base was silence, and no sooner was Raf out of Elita-One’s vehicle form with Scruffs at his side, did Ratchet scoop the boy up and run a fill check.

Raf was perfectly fine. Everyone knew it. 

And still Comet Trail was getting her audios well and truly yelled off by Ratchet for putting him in danger.

She wasn’t listening.

Optimus knew it because he recognized the body language of a teenager who had heard the words so many times she could recite them backwards in her sleep if she needed to, and the utter lack of fear of what Ratchet might do should he realize he was being ignored.

Apparently, she didn’t care.

“Ratchet.” He ordered gently and the old medic at last ended his torment and Comet Trail responded at last, turning her audios back on as she turned to look at the Autobot leader.

Ratchet gave a growl but excused himself, and with a silent look, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and the others also left, taking the kids with them, leaving only Optimus, Elita One and Kup in the room.

“Explain.” The Prime pressed gently.

“Nothing to explain. I made sure Raf was safe, I left Scruffs with him and I made sure the Cons never knew he was there.”

“That’s not what I mean and you are fully aware of that.” Optimus said.

“Ratchet needs to remember I’m not like the rest of you.” Comet Trail sniffed. “War makes you grow up, loss makes you numb, death makes you wise, my Sire taught me that. And my Carrier taught me that we’re not all innocent little peace keepers like Bumblebee or Bulkhead, he taught me that sometimes we have to be the nasty ones, the ones who make all the Cons in sleeper cells STAY in sleep mode, the ones who kill from long range with sniper rifles at the command from a Prime. I’m the dirty hands of the Autobots, the one who works to plans and orders no one ever wants to know were approved by the Noble and Peaceful Optimus Prime, son of Alpha Trion and pure heir of the 13 themselves.” She went on. “You and your family can stand in the light and be loved by everyone for ending the war because you had bots like me in the shadows doing the messy jobs.”

“Harsh words kid.” Kup remarked.

“You’re words, once upon a time.” Comet Trail stated, “My carrier and Sire stopped keeping secretes from me after they signed back up. I know who you use to be, and I know all the nasty jobs and missions they had to do before the Senate War came to an end.”

Optimus shook his head, “I am not asking you to explain your methods, Comet Trail.” He stated.

“Then what do you want from me?” She asked, “I did my job, Optimus. We’d be facing one less Decepticon if we had stayed there today.”

“And you would feel no better then you do now.” Elita-one stated. “You may be the dirty hands of the Autobots Comet Trail, but you are not numb.” She went on and Comet Trail turned away from her. “You’ve lost loved ones, we all have, and we cope in different ways, but throwing yourself into every fight like a crazed bot isn’t the way to avoid the things you don’t want to talk about.” 

“So, stop asking about it.”

Optimus sighed tiredly, “You are so like your Carrier.”

The speed at which Comet Trail shoved her way out of the room was not the response anyone had expected.

Comet Trail didn’t see the others trying to stop her, she didn’t see the worry in Night Blight’s face, the concern, no, all she saw was something she hated and so she did what she always did when it was too much, and she couldn’t fight.

She ran.

Wheels on tarmac, accelerator at full and no set destination, she just ran.

“Blitz?” Night Blight asked.

“Let her go.” Blitz Racer said, “She needs to be alone for a little while. I’ll go get her when she’s calmed down.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Soundwave reviewed the battle while he stood watching Knockout work carefully to repair the cuts to his long cables, the damage was small, delicate and primus damn it smarted if touched the wrong way, but Knockout was careful with his tools and did his very best to minimalize any discomfort by letting Soundwave lay on the raised berth while using a long line of tool tray tables to keep the whiskers extended to keep the sensations minimal.

“There, flex and rotate if you please.” The medic orders and Soundwave obeyed, slowly twisting the whiskers and coiling it back and around over itself to test the work, there was a dull ache of recent repair, but that would fade and there was no new pains. “Now, off with your bitlet and don’t you dare try and run off on me this time Ratbat, you’re due a check up and a system upgrade.”

The little drone like bot gave a small hiss, but also obeyed and landed with a slight wobble on the tool try.

“Good boy now keep still.” Knockout said and very carefully attached several small wires to the bot’s chest, helm and wings, typing at the terminal for a moment and set the necessary program running while he returned to his task of welding the cuts to Soundwave’s whiskers closed.

The door opened.

“If you are not dying, injured or here to have a scheduled medical check-up, get out of my Medical Bay.” Knockout snipped.

“I see Motormaster has already barged in here enough times to drive you to old habits.” Megatron stated and Knockout would have bowed in respect but while the tools in his hands and the work so delicate, he knew he was under a silent pardon for his lack of respectful greeting to his Lord. “Report Soundwave.”

}~ BANG. A Vehicon fell headless to the floor.

“Show Time!” Blitz Racer laughed madly as she and Hot Rod charged at them. “The Mute is mine!”

“Fine by me!” Hot Rod affirms letting himself fall into a forwards flip and drive his heel hard into the face of the first con to get too close.

More sniper fire for a few seconds and then it stopped. Comet Trail ducking and dodging between Knockout and Breakdown while the other Femme, Blitz Racer fought with Soundwave.

“It’s Motormaster!!”

“Aw, did we wreck a family reunion?”

“Hey no stealing my dance partners.”

Elita-one’s arrival with the young medical officer of her team, the stern look that darkened her face as she looked at the sniper. “You are in hot slag when we get back to base young fem.”

“Respectfully Ma’am,” Comet Trail said, “I don’t need a second Carrier or Sire.” And with that the black and silver femme charged down the rocks.

“Not so fast bitlet.” Hot Rod yelled catching Rat Bat in his hand firmly and tossing the small bat bot away from the sleeper cell. “Blight! Make with the locks!” 

“Working on it.” Night Blight assured quickly typing and altering wires as fast as her fingers could move. “This in here reset this and-”

“MOVE!” Comet Trail’s order came seconds before the cell began to spark and fizz with power. “Blight! Hots! Get back!” 

“How the frag is this bastard getting up?!” Hot Rod demanded pulling Night Blight out of the danger zone.

“A little trick we started to implement after you so kindly shut off our normal access points.” Knockout spoke up. “There is more than one way to get Energon into a sleeper cell after all.”

“Well, slag’s about to get real.” Comet Trail smirked.

“No.” Elita ordered, scooping the human and a small animal up with one hand. “All of you back to base. NOW!” she added leaving no room for argument as she unleashed several large and powerful rockets from her back and shoulders. ~{

“So, the young Medic is the one who altered the Sleeper cell programming.” Megatron realized. “Can it be undone?”

Soundwave shook his helm. 

“The programming is likely her own creation, a very complex mixture of a sleep code and several other core programs that even I can’t begin to understand.” Knockout explained in Soundwave’s silence as the mech’s face mask showed several variations of the same code. “The only one who could undo the code changes is the one who made them or we’d risk killing the Agents inside the cells.”

“Then it seems Motormaster has a job to do.” Megatron said. “Soundwave, when Knockout is finished patching you and Ratbat up I want you to show Motormaster the femme’s image and insure he knows that until he finds her and brings her to me unharmed and alive, I will not be waking Wildrider or Deadend from their cells.” And with that the Decepticon lord left the bay.


	4. 3

3

Comet Trail still wasn’t back.

And it wasn’t hard to see the sudden shift in the younger bots’ and their attitude without the young sniper around. Night Blight was suddenly jumpy and rushed to finish any task she was given; Hot Rod was just that little bit more ‘excitable’ and Blitz Racer… Raf didn’t know how best to describe how Blitz was acting. She was quiet and seemed focused, but if you watched her long enough, you saw that’s she was suddenly always aware of where the doors were and where her sister was at all times.

“They all came up together,” Kup told the boy. “All of them together, it’s like a perfectly harmonized instrument, a finely tuned bond that only they understand and share, take away one of the parts to that harmony and the whole thing could still work, but not as well as it did before.” 

“So, because Comet Trail is missing, they are all… hyper alert?” Raf asked.

“In the most basic terms.” Kup nodded, nodding to where Optimus and Elita were stood talking. “Its not fair of us to tell the kids off when they do what we train them for, Primus knows they do need scalding now and then for the silly slag they pull, but not for doing what they’ve been trained to do since this mess of a War began,” he explained, “Sometimes the Commanders of the younger bots forget just how much effects the mentality of the young ones when they lose people they care for and aren’t able to grief because the war is still going on around them.”

“What do you mean?” Raf asked and Kup smiled offering the young boy his palm to sit in.

“How much do you know about the War young lad?” he asked, “What has Optimus told ya?”

“Only that it’s been going on for a very long time, and its hurt a lot of planets and people.” Raf admitted.

“So, he gave you the glossy cover.” Kup smiled, “Well, let me tell you a little story that might explain it a little more but not traumatize you.” He said and Raf nodded sitting in the old Mech’s palm as Kup sat on a large crate that he’d claimed was his seat.

He knew Bumblebee was listening to what he told the boy, but he knew also that Raf was human, he didn’t need to hear a glossy happy story, he was old enough to understand that War was not something that was easy to talk about or to explain and so, Kup told Raf about the young mechs and femmes he’d seen go to war and how each one had changed differently to the others. How some had become cold and isolated because they embraced the death and fighting as part of their lives, while others became somewhat unstable, seeking out those older and stronger than themselves as friends and allies to go to in times of need, there were others, like Bumblebee, who somehow worked though the pains and struggles and made it work for them, becoming stronger and better fighters, and there were those, like Red Alert, who had fought for centuries along side his spark mate and friends, only to witness their brutal butchery at the hands of the feared Combaticons and while he had survived, the loss was too much and Red Alert committed the Cybertronian equivalent of suicide by over dose.

“Its harsh, horrid and sometimes, the losses are too much, and while Comet Trail isn’t like the mechs back then, she is still just a child herself and while I know she hasn’t spoken to anyone officially about the incident with Overlord, I do know that she has been building up to a break down.”

“Break down?” Raf repeated. “Like, becoming overwhelmed?”

“In human terms yes.” Kup nodded, “Kid’s as stubborn as her Sire was, but she’s also got her Carrier’s head, so she knows she’s gotta let it out soon. But I think with the sudden move and the attention from mechs like Ratchet and Optimus himself has left her a bit shaky and unsure of what she can and can’t do now when it comes to showing emotions.” 

“What do you mean?” Raf asked.

“Comet Trail is a sniper, like her Carrier and snipers have a very funny little programming code that gets put in them to help keep their processors calm and clear when they look through the sights, instead of crying when hurt or losing her temper and getting frustrated by small things on the field, she is completely focused and completely prepared for anything. But this same coding can sometimes have an adverse effect when the processor becomes clouded with everyday pressures,” Kup explained. 

“Like talking to more than one superior officer and being asked about an event or a mission that you do not want to remember?” Raf guessed and Kup nodded.

“The coding is there to keep the mind clear, but when there is no scope to look though because you are facing friends, the coding kicks in and makes the body hyper sensitive and everything goes into fight or flight mode. Comet Trail would never hurt other Autobots and so she, like most snipers, ran away from the stressful situation rather than staying to try and fight it.” The old mech stated taking a long pull from his cigar like stub.

“Does she always stay away for such a long time?” Miko asked as she and Jack came over. “It’s been two weeks.” 

“Mirage once left for a whole quad-cycle, that’s a month in your time.” Kup said, “but no, Comet Trail has a unit that needs her, and while she might be a sniper and good on her own, she’s also got promises to keep with Blight and Blitz, so she’ll come back.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Night Blight huffed to herself. 

Patrols were never easy, they were often filled with a varying degree of hiding and checking false signals or just very boring long drives with nothing interesting happening.

Today however, was one of those rare days where everything that could go wrong, had.

First her systems were slow out of recharge, so she was up late and nearly got her audios lectured off by Ratchet, then Bulkhead had commed into say he had a siting of a Decepticon, only for it to be a false sighting and the minor panic was over, but it had left Night Blight feeling a little frazzled with worry over Comet Trail and how she was coping by herself. And then, just to try and spite her more, earth weather threw her a freak rain storm for her patrol. So not only was she stuck outside for a patrol, she was stuck outside, in the pouring rain, howling winds and feeling rather sorry for herself.

It wouldn’t last, she knew that, but right now, she just didn’t feel like her normal bubbly self. She was cold, wet, missing her friend and by the 13 she swore that there was something acidic about the mud today, it seemed to burn her under carriage and made her tires feel heavy.

Yes, it was safe to say that Night Blight was having a miserable day.

A bing to her radar and the day went from miserable to downright horrid.

“Night Blight to base.” Static cut her signal off before it even connected. “Well scrap.” Ok Blight, keep calm and focus on what you can do. First, leave the human populated area. She told herself, remembering the hours Blitz and CT had spent teaching her how to get out of situations like this just to make sure she knew she didn’t have to use the weapons she carried.

She pulled calmly off the main road and headed for the exit ramp to leave the town, seeing Breakdown not far behind her with a few Vehicons. And as CT says, where there is a brute, there is the fashion mech… Ah yep there he is. Blight told herself spotting the red Aston Martin. Ok, just remember what Blitz and CT taught you, just stay calm and keep one step ahead of them. Don’t let them box you in. She told herself, keeping her speed just high enough to stay away from the cons, scanning for more of them every few clicks to make sure she was still safe.

The first shot was from Breakdown and it was all Night Blight needed to break the speed limit and shoot off. Her vehicals form was bulky, but the fact she was a medic meant she needed to be fast and so, like all medics, she had turbo busts she could use to get ahead of others. Knockout was still on her tail, but he couldn’t over take her, she didn’t let him, keeping her self just that little too much over the central line to force the other medic to stay behind her.

“Deary, as much as I would love to play ‘chase me’ all day, Megatron’s orders were to bring you in alive.” Knockout stated.

“Go frag yourself.” 

“Such foul language does not befit one as intelligent as you.” The con stated trying again to get past her. “Please make this easy and give in like a good Autobot?”

“Being nice and saying please isn’t going to make me give up.” Night Blight remarked, swinging back to the left to keep Knockout behind her.

“Let it be known I tried.” Knockout mockingly huffed in defeat seconds before a shot skimmed Blight’s left side. “You can’t out run me.” 

“She doesn’t need too!” 

“Wha-ARG!!!” Knockout yelled in pain as he was rammed off the road by a flame painted Camaro.

“Move it!” Hot Rod yelled as he pulled in alongside Night Blight as she kicked in her turbo boosters again.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Something’s wrong.” 

“Blitz Racer?” Elita-One asked.

“I can’t get a hold of Blight and she’s due to report in.” Blitz Racer explained, “She’s never late and she’d never forget.”

“Have you tried Hot Rod?” The femme commander asked.

“All I’m getting is static.” Blitz answered looking at the commander, “Ma’am?” 

Elita took a moment to try her own comm link, just on the off chance it was an issue with Blitz Racer’s commlink rather than any kind of jammer, only to hear static on both channels.

“Ratchet find Hot Rod and Night Blight. Now!” the snapped order was enough to get everyone’s attention, even as Kup moved to help search for the two missing bots only to run into the same dead ends Ratchet did.

“Not good.”

“Ground Bridge me to their last know location,” Blitz Racer growled. “So help me if that bucket headed scrap pile has hurt them I’ll kill him myself.”

“She means Megatron, right?” Miko asked Bulkhead.

“I think so.” Bulkhead gave an unsure shrug.

“Now Ratchet!” Blitz Racer snarled violently, her optics suddenly changing from the normal calming blue to a deep swirling red.

“We can’t! The Space Bridge is down for maintenance.” Ratchet remarked and Blitz Racer cursed in cybertronian and bolted from the base, Bumblebee and Arcee at her heels.

“Contact Optimus and have him meet up with us.” Elita one ordered. “Kup, Bulkhead, stay with the children.”

“Aye ma’am.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

“They’re still on our tails.” Night Blight warned as she and Hot Rod swerved and dodged around the gunfire from Soundwave. “Any luck with the coms?”

“Not a damn thing.” Hot Rod admitted grimly. “We gotta get away from them.”

“Trying, but as long as Soundwave is over us we’re stuck here.” She reminded swerving to avoid another shot. “Plans?”

“Working on ‘em.” Hot Rod assured. “Step one, get the scrap off the human roads, we’re heading right for a town.”

“Scrap…”

“I’m not leaving you, Blight, promise.” Hot Rod assured at the fear in Night Blight’s voice. “We’ll get out of this.”

“Ok… oh frag.” Night Blight whined, “Motormaster’s ahead of us.”

“Frag.” Hot Rod hissed, realizing what was about to happen he revved his engine. “Stay in front of me and you don’t stop, no matter what happens behind you keep going. Understand?”

“But Hots.”

“I can handle a few shots, but its you they want, so you run like Unicron is behind you, got it?”

“Got it.” Blight affirmed. “Don’t like it but got it.”

“Ok, on my signal.” Hot Rod assured, and then just as Motormaster slammed on his breaks and opened his trailer up, ready to scoop Night Blight up. “NOW!”

Night Blight roared around Motormaster in a tight turn, forcing herself to push past him and race ahead, hearing Hot Rod curse a few times and then the familiar sound of a painful wreck. 

“Keep going Blight!!”

“Anytime now Blitz,” Night Blight pleaded as she tore down the roads still swerving and turning to try and avoid the shots that were coming at her. Pain suddenly ripped through her body, ripping a shocked cry from her throat as she suddenly went bumper over fender, her vision going black.

Soundwave landed silently as Motormaster and the other Decepticons arrived at the now unconscious vehicle bound Autobot. “Unharmed and alive.” He repeated Megatron’s words.

“She’s gonna have a slight dent at the most.” Knockout said as he checked her over. “Now let’s get her in the box and get back to the ship before the rest of the Bots show up.”

Breakdown nodded, though he was careful not to cause further injury as he pushed the unconscious bot into Motormaster’s trailer.

“I hear engines.” Knockout said moments before the ground bridge opened.

“They have my sister!” Blitz Racer snarled skidding to a stop just as the ground bridge closed behind Soundwave’s back. “FRAG!!”

~ “Don’t worry Blitz.” ~ A familiar voice assured over the commlink.

“Comet?”

~ “I’m with Blight. I promise she’ll be safe.” ~

~@~@~@~@~@~

She moved like a shadow, skirting the scanned easily thanks to her practice on other ships, she dodged traps and tricks with grace and then slipped easily into the crawl spaces of the ship, following the box that held her friend confined, watching the cons went into the one room she knew she’d never get into without being noticed.

Soundwave’s lab.

She’d need more details.

She slipped out of the crawlspace and walked past the guards outside the command center, her steps silent and unheard even as she passed the patrolling drones. She sent a silent thanks to Primus for the gift of invisibility that had been passed on to her from her Carrier.

“-how to undo her sleeper coding.” She heard Knockout saying and slipped into the room to listen. “We must not be disturbed, Breakdown, no one comes in to that lab unless it is VITAL, understand?” The medic went on as he cleaned his tools. 

“There must be some other way to access the information?” Breakdown asked. “I mean I know she’s a bot but, a full processor sweep? That’s the kind of thing even the very best of the mnemosurgeons didn’t do without having at least six medics on hand to help if slag went wrong.”

“I know that Breakdown, but Megatron wants answers and he isn’t willing to wait.” Knockout said, setting his tools down. “If Soundwave’s work is not perfect, he could do repairable damage and while I am not as good as some, I can at least make sure that any damage is minimal.”

“Because of what happened to-”

“Let us not get into that.” Knockout said, cutting Breakdown off.

Comet Trail waited for Breakdown to leave and followed him a little ways, then darted down a long corridor. If they were going to do any kind of operation on Night Blight she had no choice but to act now and act fast, she couldn’t stall and she’d have to wing it and hope for the best.

She saw a patrolling group of Vehicons and smiled, drawing out a short knife from her hip and drew it swiftly across the throats of the patrolling mechs, ripping her way through the patrols and then moving on to the next targets.

“I’ll keep her safe, if ever you can’t.” She’d promised Blitz Racer, “but only if you promise to do what I say when I say it even if you can’t see me.”

“I promise.” Blitz Racer nodded.

“Sound the Alarms!” one lucky Con managed to yell into the comms before his throat was sliced by and unseen weapon.

“Come and get me boys!” she laughed into the ship’s comm links.

She woke up in a tight, dark and cramped space, panic tried to claim her, but she forced herself to keep still and breath slowly, calmly and steadily. Before meeting Comet Trail, that would have been impossible, but thanks to the sniper’s kind words and gentle guidance it was easier to stay focused and calm.

Even in this tight little space and she was alone… she didn’t have her sister… it was… oh stars it was like that day… the buildings had all come down around them and she – 

No! No. don’t think about it! Don’t think about that day. Just breath, just breath normally, slow, calm breaths, no reason to panic, no reason to be alarmed, it’s just… just a temporary thing, just until she gets where they are going… its just a ‘for now’. No need to panic. 

She’s not there anymore… she was saved, she was loved and she was alive, happy and enjoying live with her sister and CT and Hots. Think about them, think about the good things, like the times making oil cookies and truffles, the first time Optimus told her the story of Primus and the thirteen.

Think about those things and just breath… just breath… just-

The scream of the alarms shattered her focus and she blinked listening to whatever muffled and distant voices she could hear as someone barked orders and others yelled warnings only to fall silent.

Then, like a scene in the old hero movies, the lid of her box was ripped off and Night Blight felt a kind hand touch her face even though she saw no one.

“CT?”

“You know it.” The familiar voice assured as the older femme melted into view and Blight smiled in relief. “Ready to run?” she asked offering the medic her hand.

“Frag yes.” 

~@~@~@~@~@~

} Be ready to ground bridge us on my mark. {

Comet Trail’s request was simple and while Ratchet was ready to rip her apart verbally, Blitz Racer refused to budge, waiting for the repairs to the ground bridge to be finished and then she could wait for that signal to come in and follow the instruction.

“This goes against everything the Autobot’s stand for.” Arcee said.

“Rules go out the window when its family.” Hot Rod remarked, letting the medical tank do its job.

“Rules are there for a reason.” Bulkhead reminded.

“And those reasons can be bent if it means someone can be saved.” Kup stated. “This is what Mirage and Hound trained her for, this is what she thrives on, and while we might not like it, Comet Trail is our best bot for this kinda job.” 

“Optimus?” Ratchet asked looking at the prime who had so far been silent, looking over the message from Comet Trail as if it would somehow answer for him.

“This is what she is trained for.” The Prime said at last, but his tone held a promise that he would deal with this matter later.

“Is this gonna be bad for them?” Miko asked.

“As commander and chief, Optimus has final say over any kind of punishment Comet Trail will receive, however, while she is acting on behalf of keeping another Autobot safe, any deaths caused by her actions are not considered murder.” Ratchet explained. “Comet Trail knows that.”

“So why is it a problem?” Miko asked, not understanding the situation.

“Autobots do not take life for the enjoyment of it and even thought it is sometimes necessary, we show remorse and empathy to those who do fall at our hands.” Elita one stated. “Comet Trail doesn’t have to kill everyone to get the job done.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Did you have a plan before you came to get me or are we meant to be winging this?” Blight asked as they huddled behind a small section of the wall as bullets skimmed by them.

“Currently this is plan f with a side of plan s.” Comet Trail smiled slightly.

“Fragging Slag, great we’re doomed.”

“Nah, just slightly warmed over.” CT chuckled and then winced as a shot skimmed her arm, “Hey!! I waxed this morning!!”

“Can we talk about your beauty tips AFTER we get out of this slag please?” Blight asked.

“Sure.” Comet Trail smiled, the same crazy smile she wore on every battle field. “You cover my back, I’ll clear us a path.”

“Optimus’s gonna have our skids for this.”

“Nah, just mine.” Comet Trail assured and then with a nod, she charged from cover, cutting and slicing the Con’s down at the knees and then the throats with swift, precise strikes easily clearing the hall way before grabbing Blight’s arm and yanking her into a full out run.

Moments later she realized why as a familiar angry bellow echoed around them. 

Motormaster had arrived.


	5. 4

4

They’d made it outside, but now they had a slight problem. Said problem being the thousand foot or so drop from the ship if they jumped and the nice big explosion they made on impact with the ground and that was if they didn’t get caught on the way down by the fliers.

“Which plan is this?” Blight asked as they took cover.

Instead of answering with a joke as she had before, Comet Trail pushed Night Blight back into the corner of their cover and took a small device from her arm, slapping it into the medic’s chest easily and fastening it in place. “Shut down your optics.” She ordered softly with a smile Night Blight knew didn’t mean good things.

“CT…?”

“Optimus can’t question you about what you don’t see. And you don’t have to suffer nightmares if you don’t see the trauma.” The sniper reminded, “Do you trust me?”

“Always.” Blight nodded.

“Good girl.” Comet Trail smiled and Blight shut down her optics as Comet Trail left her with a miniature invisibility shield, it wouldn’t last long, but it would buy her time to run if needed.

“Autobots!” Motormaster snarled. “You have nowhere to run now.”

“Good, because I’m done running!” Comet Trail yelled back and then, without fear, charged at the larger mechs, blades drawn and mask in place over her face. “Come on!!!” 

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Come on, come on… why is it taking so long to repair?!” Blitz Racer snarled. “We up dated all the systems, replaced the faulty wires and we FIXED the location trackers. What more can we do to make this damn thing work?!”

“Lass, calm down before you blow a fuse.” Kup said calmly, Comet trail will get Blight out of there and they’ll be home before you know it.”

“She could call for that bridge at any moment and if its not fixed who knows what will happen… I shouldn’t have let her go out alone! Slag it all why didn’t I go with her?!”

“Because you were busy.” Elita soothed, “Please, calm yourself or you will be in no state to help if they need it.” She added.

“Yes Ma’am.” Blitz Racer said through she continued to pace, wringing her hands and growling to herself in cybertronian.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Megatron watched from the shadows of the ship as the Autobot female matched every blow for another with Motormaster, driving the larger mech back and keeping him at a distance from her alley. She moved like a gladiator in the Kaon pits, but there was more. Something primal and raw that had not been tamed or trained the way he had been, something that was untouched.

How strange. 

Neither Hound or Mirage had been particularly violent, even when provoked and pushed to their limits… Where did Comet Trail gain such a brutal streak? Did she suffer a metal state because of Galvatron’s savagery or was this something more? Something deep set? He would have to investigate it later. AFTER he had ensured his troops could be woken from their slumber. 

A silent glance to his left and the shadow with him moved slowly drawing closer to where the medic was huddled. 

He would not be denied. 

Comet Trail saw movement and acted, letting Motormaster think he had her for just a moment before she drove her elbow deep into his stomach and then released her blade into his armour. “You’re boring.” She hissed and then for good measure kicked him to the edge of the ship and gave Blight their signal to run with her left hand, digits straight on the hand and a swift wave to the right. 

Blight activated the cloak and ran, right off the end of the ship’s rear.

“Later lovers!” Comet Trail bid and jumped after Blight, free falling and then grabbing Blight in her arms, as she slapped her comm link online. “NOW!”

“GET THEM!” Megatron bellowed as he watched the sniper grabbed the medic and curled around her protectively before a mass of greenish white light ripped open beneath them and quickly closed before anyone or thing could follow them.

Comet Trail made sure Night Blight was tucked against her chest and wrapped her arms around the younger femme. She knew this was going to hurt, but she owed Blitz and Blight far too much to not at least try and protect the young medic from the impact.

Blitz watched the ground bridge open and had Kup not been holding her wrist in a light but silent hold to keep her from running in, she would have been through that mass of light before it was done opening. Seconds passed and then at last Comet Trail fell out of the portal backwards and landed heavily on her back with a very loud and painful ‘crunch-bang’ though she did not yell or curse, instead she just kept her hold on the other femme with her as Hot Rod shut down the bridge and Kup let go of Blitz Racer’s wrist.

No one spoke, Elita even held up a hand to silence any of Team Prime speaking while Blitz Racer, seeming to be running on auto-pilot, knelt and tapped twice on Comet Trail’s arms and the sniper released the medic easily and let Hot Rod brace her neck and head while Blight took a moment to get over the sudden stop and then instantly she began work on Comet Trail.

“Where?” she asked.

“Middle of upper left of my back, can’t feel the tops of my legs at the back.” Comet Trail 

“Warnings?”

“Yea, don’t move and systems at 20% fuel.”

“WHAT?!”

“Oh.” Comet Trail said and flicked her optics up to see Elita above her. “Hi, Ma’am.” 

“You are in hot slag.” Elita one stated firmly and Comet Trail huffed softly but said nothing, merely stayed still and let Night Blight do her job.

“Optimus?” Raf asked as the Autobot Commander stepped away from the crowd. 

“It is not my place to determine the punishment for a solider not under my command.” He explained simply.

~@~@~@~@~@~

A few hours later, Comet Trail was stood before Elita-one, her head ducked and her shoulders sagged as her commander verbally ripped her a new aft and gave her an audio full for good measure and unlike with Ratchet, this time Comet Trail was listening and taking the verbal beat down. 

Optimus had seen Hot Rod look the same way when he was being scalded and reminded himself again just how young Elita’s team was as he stood behind his mate as she controlled this meeting in their shared office.

Hot Rod, Comet Trail and Blitz Racer were barely into their mid youngling cycles when the war had broken out fully, and they had all grown up fast because of it, but between them, they had formed a protective train around Night Blight because she was the youngest, the bitlet of the group, and between them they had tried to give her as much of a child hood as possible even as she trained to become a Medic the three had been there to protect her an help her. 

But this, this brazen disregard for safety and rules had clearly not been the first time Comet Trail had done such a thing, and even though Optimus knew Comet Trail was now a teenager and likely didn’t enjoy being scolded like a child, she showed great respect to the Femme Commander and himself, and even though he wasn’t giving her the scolding, she had not made optical contact with him or Elita since entering the room. 

“I don’t know what you were thinking, really Comet Trail I don’t! Running off on your own like that is one thing but taking on an ENTIRE ship of Decepticons alone?! What would you have done if you’d been hurt or captured?! Did you even think about what that would do to Blitz Racer?” the femme commander asked, “Honestly of all the half-cooked ideas you’ve had over the years, this is up in the top five.”

“If I hadn’t done something they’d have brain jacked her.” Comet Trail finally said.

“What?” Optimus asked.

“They were going to try a mnemosurgeon level Processor Sweep on her, Sir, I heard Knockout and Breakdown talking about it. If I hadn’t done something she’d be a fragging empty or worse by now! At least if they had captured me they could have tested the slagging procedure and given you guys time to find her.”

“And what about you?” Elita one asked.

“What about me?” the younger femme asked back. “It’s not like I’m important.” She stated firmly. “Blight, Blitz and Rods are your bitlets, they are the next generation of Primes to everyone else, they have to live.”

“And you don’t because you aren’t a prime’s child?” Elita one asked, “You know how ridiculous that sounds don’t you?”

“I was out on my own and not once did a Con pay me any mind. The second they see Blight out alone, they go for her.” Comet Trail stated, “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Elita one was silent for a time and then sighed deeply. “Comet Trail you are by far the most stubborn femme I have ever had to deal with.”

“And the best looking.” Comet Trail said with the smallest hint of a smile.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook young femme.” Elita remarked though there was a small smile on her own face. “Double patrol shifts for a week and monitor duty with Ratchet for a month, starting tomorrow morning at 06:00am. You will also clean the ENTIRE base, and you will cover any shifts that are missed by the others during that time.” She said and held out her hand. “Both pistols and your portable player.”

Comet Trail sighed but un-subbed her pistols and a small music player from her sub pockets and placed them in her Commanders hand. 

“You can have the pistols back if we go on a mission, beyond that, they stay with me for the duration of your detail, is that clear?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Good, now get out of here and refuel.” 

“Yes Ma’am. Sir.” And with that, Comet Trail gave a small salute and left the room.

“Was I too harsh?” Elita asked him as she looked to him for assurance.

“No. I think you were right to be firm with her. Even if I do not understand why being complimented about her likeness to her Carrier caused such a drastic reaction.” He admitted, still admittedly perplexed by the odd behaviour.

Elita sighed. “I wish I knew, Optimus. I wish I knew…”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Comet Trail smiled as she sipped her energon, watching Blitz Racer sleep with Night Blight tightly tucked into her side, where she was safe and couldn’t be snatched away suddenly. Hot Rod was flopped on his own berth, head on one arm and the other hanging over the edge while he gave a soft snort in his sleep.

Let the adults think what they wanted, let them yell and scald her for her recklessness, she’d do it all again in a spark beat just to know that the important people in her life were safe and happy. 

They were a mismatching group, but she’d never change anything about them for the world.


	6. 5

5

Comet Trail knew if she got caught, she’d be in for a whole lot of lecturing from Ratchet, Elita, Kup AND Optimus.

But it was just too much fun to go to the tracks and enjoy a little racing now and then. Plus it was a good way to keep the school bullies off Jack, Miko and Raf’s case, even if no one ever thanks her for it. Blitz Racer covered for her, she always did, and Comet Trail knew if Blitz Racer needed a favour, she’d be the first port of call, but until then, she was free to enjoy a few hours of simple racing around in loops and down speed ways at ungodly speeds to let off steam. 

It was a racer’s dream night too. The roads were perfect, the weather was clear and dry and there was no sign of any change in the weather to come for at least a week. 

But tonight, there was a tension in the air, a tension Comet Trail couldn’t escape or ignore, all because there was a familiar red Mustang at the races with her and while he hadn’t apparently noticed her yet, she was trying her very best not to be noticed, even going as far as to project her Holoform constantly in her driver’s seat as she waited for her turn to drive in the races, even with the windows up and tinted so no one could see inside her vehicle form.

If Knockout had noticed her, he wasn’t acting on the knowledge and he was there alone, she knew because the minute she realized who it was a few cars away from her, she’d done a quick scan and found only him in the immediate vicinity, so she knew if he did try to attack her or if he did figure out who she was, she could at least handle a fight with him alone. But only if she could get him away from the civilians. 

So far however it seemed more like he was interested in the racing rather than trying to capture her or even paying much mind to the humans at all, he had won a few races, but then again, so had she and thus far they hadn’t been in the same race together so she hoped that just maybe she’d manage to avoid him.

Then he pulled up alongside her and she forced herself to remain calm when she realized they were going to race together this time. She dared to glance his way, noticing the holo former that sat in his driver seat was looking at her from behind a pair of black shades, red hair framing the face as she pretended to be adjusting her mirrors.

“Nice paint job.” He commented.

“Not so bad yourself.” She tossed back with a small smile, after all, there was no reason to brush him off if he was talking to her. He might not even know who she was. 

“What says we go somewhere else and have some real fun?” He offered.

“Oh? You think you can handle me one on one?” She asked, making sure she looked at the face of the holo former, not at the dash from where it was projecting.

“I know I can,” he assured, “But a gentleman never pushes for such things on a first date and this is hardly the place for us to have a proper test of speed.” He added and revved his engine in challenge.

“And you think yourself a gentleman?” She asked. 

“Well, that’s for you to find out I suppose.” He offered, and the window of his driver side door slid up.

She revved her engine in answer to his earlier challenge and watched the lights, feeling the vibrations of her engine as she waited for the go signal, feeling his frame rattle next to hers was making her systems heat up with excitement. 

She hit the accelerator peddle the second the light was shone and easily pulled head of the pack, though she didn’t relax, feeling as well as hearing him right at her bumper as they reached the first corner, he stayed at her rear though out the first and second turn then pulled alongside her. They were inches apart then, with a swift change of gear she pulled ahead again and swung into the lead, keeping him and others behind her with practiced ease.

The race was close, but just before the end, he clipped her side and forced her off the track, chasing her away from the humans and onto the sand covered lesser used back roads, trying to force her off the road and into sand where her tires had less traction until he transformed and tried to grab her, the shock of the action enough to trigger her own instinctive response to also change form and suddenly the two were rolling in the sand, each trying to gain the upper hand until they came to a stop, him over her with her knife to his throat.

“Now that’s not very Autobot like of you,” he said evenly.

“I’m not a good bot by any stretch of the processor.” She told him, “Or did you forget I shoot to kill?”

“And yet I’m still alive.” He reminded, “You’ve faced me in combat enough times to have a good shot at my head countless times.”

“Medics get a pass.” She reminded. “Something about you being classed as neutral when on the field or some other scrap like that.”

“Lucky me.” He said, keeping his hold on her free wrist as his other hand kept a firm hold over her other wrist, enough to maintain his balance over her. “What’s the real reason?” He asked very carefully trying to avoid cutting his neck on her blade.

“What? You think you get off light because you got something I want? Dream on,” she sneered trying to twist her arm free of his grip, only to have him move first and pin both her arms down at her sides.

“Now, let’s not be rash here,” He said. “I would hate to ruin such a pretty frame as yours.”

“You think I care about getting scuffed up?” She hissed.

“Oh, I know you’re not, but I prefer to at least get to know my dance partner before we move to a more, intimate relation.” He chuckled but before he could get any further she lashed out, slamming her knee into his side and rolling with the momentum, scrambling away from him and getting to her feet ready to fight if she needed too but she held herself back.

He was a medic after all. “Well, that wasn’t what I expected.” He admitted getting back to his feet again.

“I don’t lay down for anyone.” She hissed darkly. “Not you, Not Galvatron, no one!”

Something seemed to click in the medic’s mind at that and he sighed shaking his helm, stepping back rather than forwards. 

“I see,” he said, “You have been forced.” 

“No.” She spat, “I got away, he didn’t live beyond that attempt.”

Knockout gave her a curious look, but said nothing more on the matter and instead straightened his back, “Well, in that light it seems I will have to modify my plans for you.”

“What?” 

“Given how openly you flirt with every mech you see and the number of times you haven’t shot me in the head despite the opportunity, I am sure we can both agree that you aren’t shy about your attractions to others, no matter their side in this war. That along with your unique beauty and boundless confidence both on and off the field is almost intoxicating even from a distance.” Knockout admitted, “I had thought you were the type to enjoy a little rough and tumble before a more intimate discussion about courtship, but in light of this new information, it seems I was mistaken to be so brazenly forward.”

Courtship? With the Decepticon Medic? She had to be hearing things wrong or this was some very fragged up dream.

“Did you whack your helm?” she asked, “Megatron would slag you for even suggesting it.”

“Not recently enough to be thinking like a fool. And Megatron can’t strike me down for what he doesn’t know about.” Knockout assured with a smirk. “Surly you are educated enough to know that you are a living master piece? Or has no mech bothered to mention just how beautiful you are?”

“We’re in the midst of war, mechs don’t focus on a femme’s aft and mounds.” She hissed, hoping that the heat in her face didn’t show.

“Oh, but they do, I can assure you they do. All I hear on the Nemesis is how many of the mechs would gladly take the Autobot side if it meant they could find one as beautiful as yourself or the other speedster femme as mates.” He chuckled, “But I am not so foolish as to just rush in and force a femme to my berth, unlike the uncivil brute, Motormaster, I prefer a more traditional approach when courting.”

“You’re out of your head.” Comet Trail said.

“Maybe, but you’re still here listening to me.” Knockout reminded, “I had planned on beginning a traditional Courtship dance with you tonight, but it seems I have some more work to do before I earn your trust enough to consider such an act again.”

“Planned on… You knew I was here?” Comet Trail asked suddenly aware that she’d been stalked.

“It was pure accident that I learnt of your enjoyment of racing, I had seen you a few times while racing with the humans myself, but you were either leaving or had been called away when I noticed you. I knew you would eventually leave your base to join in another race after your brazen and rather spectacular rescue of the young medical femme and so it was just a case of waiting for you to show up before I could put a plan into action, had I known about Galvatron’s… Well, what he had done to you, I would not have been so cruel as to restrain you.”

Comet Trail blinked, was it true? Or just some act to try and win her favour before he used her as many before him had tried? No, none of them had stayed as a distance when speaking to her before, they always tried to get close, to touch and manipulate energy fields to get what they wanted, though none ever expected her to be quite so willing to put her knife in their crotches and cut into limb joints if they didn’t take no for an answer…

Knockout wasn’t doing that, he was out of field range and he wasn’t emitting dampeners or jamming fields, if Comet Trail opened her commlink she’d get through to anyone of her fellow Autobots and he had kept his place a few feet from her since they’d both gotten back to their feet, yes he’d paced a little but he’d never moved closer, maintaining a ‘safe’ zone between them that she could chose to move into.

He was letting her control their closeness, as any mech would when trying to begin courting a femme, her carrier and sire had told her stories of their courtship and even taught her all the traditional ways as best they could while she was a child, to insure she was always safe and aware of what mechs were doing around her.

A sharp static alert broke the silence and Knockout brought a finger to his lips as he answered his commlink. “What is it Breakdown?”

/ “Sorry to call you on your night off Knockout, but Motormaster has damaged several of the Vehicons. Megatron wants you back here to fix them.” / Breakdown stated.

“Understood, I will request a ground bridge shortly.” The Medic assured then cut the line. “It would seem my dear friend’s combining master has created work for me, however I would like to finish this talk another time. I will leave you to think about what I have said and what I am offering, when next we meet in combat if you allow, I will give you my personal channel and we shall go from there.” And with that, Knockout folded away into his alt form and drove off.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“CT?” Blitz asked as her friend came in early from her racing trip, joining her and Kup on a late-night patrol route.

“Kid? You ok?” Kup asked.

“Couldn’t sleep…” She lied, tucking in beside Blitz Racer. “Thought I could tag on with you guys?”

“Kup?” Blitz asked.

The old mech sighed, “If Elita asks, you begged for it.” He stated and Comet Trail smiled.

“Thanks, old mech.” She said, and fell into a comfortable silence, staying under the speed limit and obeying the traffic laws easily.

Courtship. Of all things to consider with anyone after what she’d been through, that was never something she’d though would come up. She knew she was attractive, there had been no end of mechs and even femmes who’d complimented her, she’d never been shy about her body, even after what Galvatron had tried to do to her, she’d refused to let his actions shame her into covering up and cowering from others. She’d rejected the idea she’d ever need help getting that done and so far shed been proven right, no mech or femme even now wanted a serious relationship, they wanted a quick frag in the dark corner of a room or a storage room and while she knew some whispered about her being no better than a pleasure-bot, she never let anyone use her in such a way. 

Galvatron tried and not only did he lose his cable in a most painful way, but she’d also taken his life, revenge for him taking her Sire. 

It still hurt to think about.

“Comet Trail.” 

“Yea?” She asked and then realized Blitz Racer wasn’t with them anymore. “Where’s Blitz?” she asked as they turned into a parking lot.

“She’s getting a late supper for Jack and the other children at base,” the old mech explained as he parked up and she followed suit, parking beside him. “You wanna tell me the truth about why you joined us? Or are you going to insult my intelligence?”

She was silent for a minute, knowing it was best not to make Kup mad. “I just... I needed to think about some things and I do that best when I drive.”

“And you tagged along with us instead of going off to race like normal because?” Kup asked.

“I caught a signal on my radar, and I didn’t want to get in to more trouble.” It was a lie, the both knew it and Kup made a gruff snort but didn’t press for more. He was old enough to know that she couldn’t go to a lot of the adults with her issues and he didn’t want to be added to the list of ‘avoid at all costs’ adults like Ratchet, Bulkhead, Arcee and Optimus had unwittingly been placed on.

“I’m sorry Kup,” She sighed after a few minutes, “I just... I don’t feel I can talk about it, not with anyone here.” 

“You’re gonna have to talk soon Comet,” Kup said. “As good as you are at what you do, you can’t keep sweeping it under a rug.” 

“I know.” She said. “I just… I don’t know-”

“Start with the Lady, then work your way up to the Lord.” Kup told her softly but firmly as he moved to follow Blitz Racer. “That’s how you win a game of conquest.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Soundwave was not foolish. He had noticed that there was something bothering Megatron as of late, since the young medic had escaped with the aid of Comet Trail, something that seemed to be holding his attention far more than the others and something that had begun to almost distract the Decepticon Lord. Soundwave waited until they were alone in the command center and spoke through sound bites, asking in old Cybertronian why his Lord was troubled.

“The Death of Galvatron was never truly documented, nor was the death of Overlord.” Megatron stated “I want to know how it is possible one Autobot, a child no less, was able to undo the work of the likes of Shockwave, myself and you with such ease when Optimus, and others of his code have failed.”

“Under the stresses of loss and traumatic pain, the body and mind will often blank out, and instinct take over.” A recording of Shockwave, then followed by Starscream, “losing one’s team, one’s better sides is literally to a seeker like losing the drive to live and do as you are expected to do. Without restraints from them, the remaining seeker is often driven to insanity, depression or even violence and suicidal behaviour.”

Megatron considered his words and Soundwave added more using Knockout’s voice.

“Any creature, mech, femme, young or old can have a sudden and lasting burst adrenalin, a reaction to sudden shock or loss, even if that pain is not their own, the best case of this is when a child screams, any one with a coding worth his plates would turn to see why the child is scared, but the child’s mother and father and sometimes even siblings would rush to find that child and protect them from whatever was making them scream. Just as a mate would fight to protect their other half. It is all in the coding and bonds form in life, a fact even some Decepticons often forget.” 

“So, it is cause and effect.” Megatron said. “Comet Trail was pushed to her limit, and when the limit broke she reacted with violence.”

“As is expected.” That was Breakdown’s voice, then followed by Shockwave’s once again. “A child who has suffered the loss of one parent unit without closure until the later years of life and then witnessed the death of her remaining parent would no doubt snap under the shock, trauma and other emotional triggers the Autobots suffer from. The attack on Overlord is violent, but also unfocused and messy, it is sheer luck that she managed to kill him. Nothing more.”

“And Galvatron?” Megatron asked, “The pattern is similar.” 

Soundwave was silent and Megatron thought carefully over what he could do, while Soundwave waited patiently.

The silent mech had long ago learnt that there were signs in the ranks of distrust and signs of relations, that was how he knew despite his behaviour and constant betrayals, Starscream was loyal to Megatron, his behaviour was due to his lack of his train mates, and lack of suitable release for his own tensions being the only flier of his class in on the Nemesis. Seekers with compact and small frames were known to have increased needs for contact, assurance and attention and despite the efforts of the low rank soldiers, Starscream was not properly sated without the correct aid. Breakdown and Knockout were steady go mechs, neither really held a relationship besides the one night stands they gossiped about in what they thought was the privacy of their shared room and it was a known fact that ALL soldiers had a deep distrust of Airachnid, even the Insecticons did not like her.

Motormaster was a little bit of an unknown, the Stunticon leader was unsteady and uncivil, he spoke with no respect to anyone, much less his own team mates and when given half a chance to talk about the Autobots he belittled them and their efforts, took great joy in insulting and talking about the three younger femmes of Prime’s team as if they were little more than pleasure-bots to be used and then tossed aside by their team mates when done with, though he was silenced when Knockout made the comment that one of those pleasure-bots had managed to not only defeat him but had also killed Overlord, alone.

Soundwave had studied the younger Autobots as closely as possible, noticing that despite the lacking bond of true sisterhood, Comet Trail was as close to Blitz Racer and Night Blight as was possible without being intimate and the same could be said of her and Hot Rod, though the young racer was always a complete gentlemech when around the femmes of his team and never abused his place as Prime’s son to get close to the femmes when they weren’t inviting him. Soundwave had been the one to discover that while Comet Trail was no stranger to Decepticon tortures and torments, her reckless and oddly violent behaviour was more noticeable after the death of Galvatron, though only a selected few knew this fact.

“Gather a team and prepare for capture Soundwave, I want Comet Trail and Hot Rod brought to me alive and unharmed.”

Soundwave bowed and silently left the room.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Elita-one was waiting in the office she and her mate shared, fully aware of the young femme outside her door way past curfew, shuffling her peds and seeming to struggle with the idea of coming into the room to talk with her and just walking away and burying her issues again.

She waited a little more, then hit the switch that automatically opened the door and saw Comet Trail stood there, looking like a cyber bunny caught in the sights of a oncoming speeder. “Your Sire used to hover like that.” She offered in way of explaining how she knew Comet Trail was there already and was about to continue with the normal ‘come in and sit down’, but stopped when she heard the almost muted hitch in a breathing.

She watched Comet Trail, her body was stiff and ridged, her servos trembling just a little and her optics had gone wide, carefully Elita went on with her comparison of Comet Trail to her sire. “He never wanted to be a bother with others, always wanted to keep his troubles to himself even when they could be hard to cope with.”

There was a long pause and then at last, Comet Trail spoke up, though her voice was barely a whisper. “What… What changed?”

Elita smiled softly and sat back in her chair, waving Comet Trail into the chair before the desk. “He met your Carrier, realized that they both had so much bottled up that it wasn’t healthy and slowly they worked though it together.” She explained as the younger femme slowly sat in the chair she’d been offered as Elita shook helm a little. “You are like him that way.”

The tears came flooding out, though Comet Trail made no sound as they fell. Elita smiled kindly, understanding she’d found a small window to try and reach Comet Trail though at last. “No one ever compares you to him like they do your Carrier, do they?” She asked.

“Never.” Comet Trail admitted softly. “All I hear is that ‘my Carrier was like that’ or ‘my Carrier did this’. No one talks about my Sire, no one tells me what he was like and no one ever says I’m like him.”

“You are your parents’ daughter,” Elita smiled. “You have Mirage’s confidence, his ability to cope with everything by brushing it off easily and hiding the way you feel from others but you feel as deeply as Hound did, he could hide things but he couldn’t keep it inside like Mirage, he was too open sparked to hide the turmoil for long. Eventually, he had to talk and he usually shared his troubles with Trailbreaker or even Ironhide or Kup though he never went for professional help, but when he met Mirage he realized that he needed more than someone to listen.”

“Can anyone help me?” Comet Trail asked.

“I can.” Elita nodded, “I know it’s not easy and I know I have pushed and pressed in ways I shouldn’t while you have been with me. But I also know that you are your Sire’s child as much as you are your Carrier’s and you can’t keep hiding and running from what’s in here.” She said gently reaching over and tapping a finger to Comet Trail’s helm. “You have to let someone else carry your burdens with you, or they will become so heavy that you are crushed under them.”

“Even if the things I’ve done could brand me in the same light as Lockdown?” 

Elita paused, Lockdown was a mercenary and a traitor, he killed for money and for the fun of it. 

“I have done somethings that regret and somethings I don’t. I have kept thigs from you, from Blitz and Blight… I have lied and I have broken so many codes I’ve lost count.” Comet Trail went on, shaking her helm. “I don’t even know if I’m sane anymore.”

“Insanity would easy to see in you.” Elita-one assured as she stood and came around to stand by Comet Trail. “You may be more violent and aggressive then either of your parents, but you are driven by the same morals and motivation they were; protect those you see as your friends and defend those weaker then yourself, a feat you manage to do in the most unique ways I have ever seen. You proved that when you saved Night Blight despite your weakened state.” She reminded and Comet Trail looked at her, tears still rolling down her face and optics pleading for someone, anyone to reach in and grab her before she could fall into a pit she’d been circling for a long time now.

With a motherly smile, Elita-one offered her hand to Comet Trail. “Let me help you Comet Trail, before we lose you to something worse then insanity.” 

Comet Trail nodded silently, taking the offered hand and holding on tightly.


	7. 6

6

Night Blight was sat in the medical bay, finally able to take a moment to just rest after a hell of a week and an even more hectic day. Bumblebee had been hurt badly by Motormaster in the last fight and Elita was laid on the berth before her, undergoing treatment to remove for of Airachnid’ s poison from her systems.

And Night Blight felt awful.

She’d been struck in the stomach by the spider like Con and the pain had left her unable to breathe right for a moment or two, giving Airachnid a chance that could have led to Blight being captured if not for the spider’s need to gloat and insult the younger femme, saying she wasn’t worthy of the Decepticon War Lords attention as she wasn’t even pretty, that had given Comet Trail the chance to kick the Decepticon away from the Medic and snap her arm and shoulder out of place with easy remarking that only a pleasure femme needed to insult those better looking and worthy then themselves. 

Still, the words from the spider had cut deep and Night Blight felt utterly terrible with herself. 

She knew of the three young femmes she was the boxiest, most undeveloped and childlike in appearance, Comet Trail was the middle child and Blitz was the oldest, Comet Trail was the most developed, practically an adult frame already due to her reformat as a teen and she had always been so sure and so confident in herself that she got attention for EVERYONE, mechs and femmes alike. Blitz Racer didn’t have the same kind of confidence, but she was still sure of herself and developed, getting attention not just for her looks but also her skill as a fighter. She held herself with authority and strength that made people listen and obey her orders when they were spoken. 

A hand fell on her shoulder and Blight gave a startled ‘ep’, only to smile as Hot Rod offered her a small cube of energon. “Thanks.”

“You looked like you needed it.” The mech said, “You ok?”

“I’m… no.” She said shoulders slumping. “What Airachnid said… hurt.”

“Don’t heed her, that femme wouldn’t know beauty if it walked up and smacked her in the face.” He added with a smile, “You are perfect as you are.”

“I don’t feel like I am.” Blight admitted, “Compared to CT and Blitz I feel so… so unattractive.”

“It’s not fair to compare yourself to them.” he said, “It’s not the Frame that makes you attractive to someone.” 

“It’s not?” Blight asked.

“Nah, the frame is just a shell, a place to house the true beauty of a person. Sure it gets attention and yes, mech and femmes want to jump CT plates at first glance, but that’s lust and pent up frustration, not love, If someone wants to be with you for love, then Frames don’t matter.” He explained.

“But it helps.”

“Not really.” Hot Rod sighed. “A Frame like CT’s and even mine, is a hinderance to us in finding relationships that mean something real, mechs and femmes want to berth us so they can say ‘I tapped that’, our frames make us the target of stalkers, rude afts, and fraggers like Motormaster and Airachnid who want to ruin us. But your frame? It protects you from the slaggers who just want a quickie, or to mess with you, the ones who think that one night is enough to prove you love someone. That frame of yours isn’t an hinderance, it’s a challenge.”

“What do you mean?” Blight asked.

“Well, look at you. All the armour you wear means no one can really see the frame underneath unless they are sat close to you like I am, so no one knows what you look like under it, sure you have a baby face now so everyone knows you are a minor, but once you go through your development stage, you’ll mature like CT and Blitz, then no one will know what’s underneath all the armour, that will mean that if someone does take interest in you, they will have to wait until you are comfortable enough to let them close enough to know what you look like under the armour.” Hot Rod explained then smiled. “Armour like yours also means that when someone does approach you, they aren’t looking to get in the berth with you for a one night stand, and anyone who does come near you has to get past CT and Blitz and Me first.”

“That’s a good thing?” Blight questioned.

“Can be, if they can ignore the lacking armour on CT, me and Blitz, then they clearly are interested in getting to know you rather than trying to get to us through you like that mech that kept bugging you to pass notes along to CT on Alkolon 2.”

“I guess,” Blight sighed, remembering that particular mech had always been trying to get Comet Trail’s attention in all the wrong ways even after the Tower femme made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him for his insults towards Blitz Racer and sighed heavily again. “I just don’t feel very pretty.”

Hot Rod smiled. “Well, why not ask Blitz or CT to help you get all fancy?” He asked.

“What was that now?” Blitz Racer asked as she came over with a smile on her face, she looked tired, but not so much that she couldn’t stay up a little longer. 

Night Blight eeped softly then fidgeted a little. “Can, um can you help me buff and reapply wax and paint in the morning?” 

“Why do you need to buff and reapply?” Blitz Racer asked. 

“Because… well… umm… well I… wanttolookgood.” Night Blight said quickly, then stopped as Blitz Racer poked her nose plate.

“You wanna look good?” The older femme repeated with a knowing smile on her face. “Sis you don’t need to change a damn thing for that! You’re perfect as you are!” she praised. 

“But I wanna be sure I look good! Please! I’m begging you here.” Night Blight pleaded, “Please Sis please!” 

“Oh fine, but trust me, you don’t need this to look good.” Blitz Racer repeated, and with a gently nuggie to Hot Rod’s helm she and Blight headed off to their room.

When Comet Trail came back that following morning, she found Night Blight wringing her digits while Blitz very carefully applied a thin layer of wax to her face plates, evenly spreading the coating and smoothing it into the very delicate lines of the younger femme’s facial plates, around her optics, nose and mouth area then with a steady hand and very tiny amount of paint on the tip of her brush, Blitz outlined Night’s optics with the smallest dash of black paint and then buffed it out so it was almost unnoticeable, just enough to be seen if someone actually took the time to look at Night Blight’s face.

Her armour and frame looked freshly washed, waxed and buffed to perfection too.

“What’s going on in here?” she asked with a smile.

“Bitlet sis feels like she’s not pretty,” Blitz said, “So I’m making her beautiful. Now, since you insist on looking good, think you can sit still a little longer so CT can do your lips? I can’t get lips right for the life of me.” She asked.

“Um, I guess…” Night Blight said. “I’m not sure what colour would go well though.”

“Well, let’s try them all and see?” Comet Trail smiled, bringing some colors from her own foot locker and holding them next to Night Blight’s lips, “Hmmm, no, no, no, blue is not your colour at all, not gray, oh stars no, not green, not the right shade for you right now,” she said placing the rejected colours back into the foot locker where she’d found them.

“Peach might do but is kind of bland, oh sparks not lime, and- How do you have crystal shine wax?” Blitz asked in amazement. “This stuff was rare even for the Towers!”

“Never you mind why I have that.” Comet Trail smiled, “Light purple or maybe pink…? oh but red does look so much better with black optical shading… hmm.”

“I like the red.” Night Blight said.

“Hmm, yes, it does go nicely. Not too much, but just a little splash to give your lips that hint of colour.” Comet Trail nodded, taking a clean brush and carefully collecting the smallest hint of red. “Now, lips slightly a-gasp if you please.” She said and very carefully drew the paint over the lower and upper lip before gently smoothing it over the whole component with her brush and then very softly dusted the fresh paint with a fine clothe, giving the lips a slightly faded look, just enough for the colour to look natural. “And you, my dear Night Blight, look absolutely beautiful.” She said showing Night Blight her face plate in a mirror.

“Wow…” Night Blight said in amazement, it barely looked like they had done anything, and yet, the childish look to her face was gone and replaced with a somewhat more mature and adult appearance and the wax shine made her stand out just that little more alongside them. “Do you think anyone will notice?”

“Oh, I’m sure they will, but really you were perfect before this.” Comet Trail said putting her supplies away, “What’s really got you so fuzzy about your looks? Did that Con bitch say something to you during that last scuffle?” She asked.

“No… Well… It’s not just her, it’s kinda…” Night Blight sighed, “I don’t feel like I’m developing at all, not like you and Blitz.”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Blitz asked. “Darling listen to me, you are beautiful in your own ways. Yes, me and CT have developed a little sooner, but don’t forget Comet went through a reformat early so her ageing program is in over drive and I have three personalities, all of them trying to develop faster than the others, as we reach our adult lives, these faces will stay with us, rather than maturing and aging like yours and Hots will.”

“I know. It’s just I feel like I’m not really… Well I mean I’m not as attractive as you guys.” Night sighed. “Everyone notices you both, and you both have better looks and confidence than me… I just feel a little, well dull.”

“Oh, sweet spark come here.” Comet Trail sighed softly and gently hugged the younger femme. “Just because we walk the walk doesn’t mean we’re better than you. You’re smarter than both of us put together, you have the skill to keep sleepers in their cells and you can patch up any injury, you can make tools and aids from scrap and you can carry Optimus himself out of danger in needs must. I couldn’t do any of that and neither can Blitz, Hots, Bee, Arcee or even Ratchet. Yes, you’re dull on the outside but in here,” She said and gently poked plating over Night Blight’s spark. “You shine brighter than anyone in this base.”

“Really?” Night asked.

“Really, really.” Blitz smiled and joined the hug. “You’re perfect as you are, and anyone who says otherwise is a glitched fragger.”

“Thanks guys.” Night smiled and snuggled into the embrace.


	8. 7

7

Blitz Racer was restless, so restless that she couldn’t sit still for more than a few minutes, always wringing her hands and shuffling her feet or refocusing her optics and flexing her panelling.

“Sir?” Optimus paused and looked to Comet Trail. “May we take this sparring session outside?”

“Outside?” Ratchet echoed. “You can’t be serious?”

“I am.” Comet Trail said and glanced at her friend, “She needs an outlet and if we fight inside today we will end up breaking the walls, it’s not a pretty sight.”

“You can confidently say that you can handle it.” Optimus asked.

“Yes Sir.” Comet Trail nodded. 

“Then we will leave as soon as the others are back from patrol.” he stated. “You both have a habit of going a little overboard with your injuries, you may need extra help getting home.” he added at her questioning look.

“Yes Sir.” The sniper nodded and left to stash her rifle and smaller weapons, replacing them with her blades and a large hunting knife that she sheathed in a special holster at her side.

“That is one awesome looking knife.” Miko said.

“It was my Sire’s.” Comet Trail said, watching Blitz Racer twitch and growl slightly. “Do me a favour Rockstar?” 

“Sure.”

“Make sure Scruffs and Raf don’t see us coming back. It’s not gonna be pretty.” She said. “Manage that for me and I might just find the cash to pay for a concert trip for you and Bulkhead.”

“Deal.” Miko nodded with a thumbs up.

“Thanks Rockstar.” She smiled as Bumblebee and Hot Rod arrived back with a wet shine to their armour. “Raining out?”

“Yep.” Hot Rod nodded. “Where are you go- never mind….” The Scout waved off spotting the knives on his teammate he wisely stepped aside. “Good luck.”

Comet Trail nodded, then sighed deeply and squared her shoulders. “Oi, Blitzy.” The hated nickname and the other femme glared hotly at her. “Get your aft up and let’s go play. You look like you’re on the verge of a break down.”

“I am not.” Blitz hissed lowly.

“Sure you ain’t, weakling.” 

The sudden change was enough to trigger the automatic ‘need to leave base now’ response from Kup and the old mech opened the Space Bridge before Ratchet even realized what was happening. “Don’t kill each other.”

“We won’t.” Comet Trail smiled. “Come on Blitzy.” 

“You are pushing it.” Blitz Racer snarled following Comet Trail.

“Good, you fight better angry.”

Optimus nodded and the bridge closed behind them, allowing Optimus to see that Kup had sent them to a rocky, battle beaten area of earth that had clearly become something of a ‘go to zone’ for the two femmes when they fought like this, he could see the stains of oil and energon spattered around and the fragments of broken optical glass and dental chips that had been lost but were too small to be of use to anyone.

He saw a smothered rock, where someone could sit to observe the fight at a safe distance and realized that this kind of fight was not uncommon for the two of them.

The two femmes were already going at each other when he looked to them, Comet Trail blocking the incoming slashes from Blitz Racer, sparks already flying at claws met armour, energon already seeping from shallow claw marks on Blitz Racer’s face as she swung at her friend with a heavy punch. 

They fought without restraints here, that was the rule. No holding back, no lies, no keeping it in. this was their venting space, their blowing off steam even if that meant saying hurtful and painful things about themselves or others just, it had to be said or screamed, it had to be out and they both did this better when they were fighting, pain brought responses, responses brought arguments, answers were found somewhere in the fighting, answers brought clarity, clarity brought calmness.

Comet Trail blocked a punch aimed at her stomach and countered with a heavy kick to the face. “Talk to me, Blitzy.”

“She shouldn’t be targeted by them!” Blitz snarled as she recovered from the kick, fainting left only to swing right, trying to grab Comet Trail and make her fall. “She’s just a kid! They have no right to go for her!”

“It’s war. We are all targets.” Comet Trail said and ducked the grab and tackle, staying out of Blitz’s reach for a second longer before punching her in the face. “Sadly a fact we all signed up knowing.”

“She shouldn’t be involved in the frag show!!” Blitz snapped, spitting oil aside as she charged Comet Trail, this time managing to grab her and send them both into the ground, thunder booming over head as they rolled around, fighting for dominance. “This isn’t our fight! It’s not our mistakes that made this! It’s not fair!!”

“Life is never fair.” Comet Trail winced, claws dragging down Blitz’s back in a sharp painful tear at her frame plating, forcing the other femme to let go of her shoulders and allowing her to shove Blitz off her. “We both know that the real world isn’t fair Blitz, we’ve known from the start of this mess that hell was coming and only the strongest and bravest would survive and keep their innocence!” 

“I should have protected her!!” Blitz screamed and tried to punch Comet Trail’s face. “I am her sister! Its my job!” the speeder snarled violently shattering Comet Trail’s ankle joint with a well-aimed punch.

“Our job.” Comet Trail hissed, using her now bad foot to kick Blitz’s face.

“You’re not family!” 

“Might as well be.” Comet Trail said and back flipped to avoid the leg sweep. “You’re pissed because you think you failed her, you think she’s going to get hurt because Megatron targeted her out of the blue and went for her when she was alone.”

“I should have stayed with her!”

“You can’t baby her forever.” Comet Trail snapped. “You’re three minds but you only have one body, you can’t be there all the time. Deal with it!”

“Fragger!” Blitz Racer charged Comet Trail again, a sickening snap echoing and Optimus realized it was Comet Trail’s back plate snapping with the impact. “I’m meant to protect her! She’s my sister! I HAVE to keep her safe!”

“So prove you can.” Comet Trail hissed lowly and Optimus almost intervened when he saw and heard the blade of her knife cut into Blitz’s plating. “Enough fooling around.”

“Finally!” 

The talking stopped after that, but the insults came thick and fast and Optimus came to realize there and then, sat in the rain watching these two young femme’s fight like savage animals that the words weren’t needed here, Blitz Racer’s personas were fighting for the change to hit Comet Trail, making her movements jerky and stiff while Comet Trail’s pent up aggression, her violence streak that seemed to have risen from nowhere kept the Towerling on constant edge finally had an outlet, the visor masking a faintly red glow to her optics as Blitz Racer’s own optics flickered from green to blue to purple and back again. 

Normally he would not allow this kind of destructive behaviour, but he had read everything Elita had given him about the two femmes, how they had been forced to stop their ‘sparring sessions’ by Ultra Magnus, Blitz Racer placed on Mandatory evaluations with Rung and Comet Trail given to Jazz as a means of quelling her temper. For a short time things were calm, but then Blitz Racer stopped talking and shut down to everyone, even her own sister and Comet Trail became snappish and aggressive to everyone, eventually coming to a head when Blitz Racer had suffered a near catastrophic processor overload due to paranoid and over stressed processor glitches that she’d hidden so well Rung had missed them completely and Comet Trail had put sixteen mechs in the medical wing after one of them had tried to take her into a side room for some privet time.

Ultra Magnus had allowed them to start sparring again after those incidents and while other attempts had been made by both femmes to find another way to vent the need to feel pain, to have that assurance that their bodies could handle the beatings of war, brought both of them comfort and listening to what they said now, Optimus understood why with new clarity.

They were both in their own ways, ensuring that if ever the need came they could stand in front of Night Blight, Hot Rod or any of their team mates and take the beating until help came, until the others were safe. Both femmes suffered from what Ratchet dubbed Shielding Syndrome, he realized now. Their desire, their need to protect their loved ones forced them into this violent cycle of beating each other to the brink of death and then taking time to heal and recover before doing it all over again.

He was broken from his thoughts when he heard Blitz Racer scream in agony, watching in shock as Comet Trail tore her hunting knife out of the other femme’s back, her right shoulder and arm limp at her side while Blitz Racer was covered in dents and cuts. Comet Trail’s left leg was damaged and yet she was still standing, and Blitz Racer was struggling to get back to her feet, cursing in cybertronian as she struggled to get up. 

“It’s not fair.”

Comet Trail waited for a moment then seemed to go lax and put her knife away, offering Blitz Racer her hand. “No, it’s not. But it’s the slag show we’re in and it’s all we got.” She said, “But I’m not about to let some fragger with a power craze hurt your sister or anyone else.”

“You shouldn’t have to watch out for us…” Blitz Racer said, letting Comet Trail heave her up right and hold both their broken bodies up. “You have your own slag to deal with.”

“I can multitask.” Comet Trail smiled and lightly poked Blitz’s nose plate. “Boop.”

Blitz Racer blinked and then gave a broken sobbing laugh as she hugged her friend, the rain and storm over head shattering the tense anger until all that was left were tears and shaky vents as Comet Trail held her friend, letting the femme cry and babble on like a child as the rain washed away the still oozing energon and oil from their frames and then the two were slowly hobbling over to him, then he realized Blitz Racer was out cold and Comet Trail was walking on two badly damaged legs and only able to see him because of his red armour as her visor was broken and her good optic was dark from damage.

“Finished?” He asked.

“For now, sir.” Comet Trail nodded.

He nodded and with a silent comm command the ground bridge opened a few feet from them. he watched Comet Trail easily slip by Raf and Scruffs without being seen thanks to Miko’s distraction before she vanished into the medical bay, putting Blitz Racer on the larger table with Night Blight began to work on her sister while she sat on a crate, letting Hot Rod put a sheet over her to help her dry off and offer her a cube of energon.

Comet Trail would not leave Blitz Racer alone until she knew the other femme was stable again, eventually falling asleep at her friend’s bed side. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

Blitz Racer woke up to the warmth of a blanket over her frame and a small weight over her hand. She blinked her optics into focus and smiled finding Comet Trail slumped at her side, one hand over hers as she slept looking like new with a sheet over her shoulders.

“She hasn’t left your side.” Elita one said with a soft smile from her left.

“She always has to make sure I’m ok…. Even when I hurt her really bad.” Blitz sighed. “Who’d have thought we’d be friends when we first met?”

“You were a little short with her.” Elita chuckled, “But Comet Trail isn’t the type to hold a grudge and she enjoys having someone her own age to help keep the creeps away.” She added.

Blitz Racer chuckled. “The sister we should have had.” She said then blinked as Elita one sighed softly. “Ma’am?”

“No,” Elita sighed, “It’s nothing you can help with.” She added.

Blitz Racer took a moment and then nodded, “Should I be ready to catch her?” she asked.

Elita smiled and chuckled. “I think that would be best.” She nodded.


	9. 8

8

After the M.E.C.H incident, a strange signal had started to appear on the radar, moving from place to place before vanishing again for a few days before showing up again. It took a little work but with help from Raf, the signal came back as a destress signal from a youngling.

Without hesitation, Elita-One and Blitz Racer went out to find the signal while Night Blight set up a smaller work space and Comet Trail set about preparing for a youngling on the base, Hot Rod and Arcee moved everything that could have been a danger to a higher place so it couldn’t be easily reached and Ratchet, Bulkhead, Kup and Optimus locked up the ammo and energon cubes.

“A Youngling on Earth…. Have we even got any families here?” Hot Rod asked.

“Not that we knew of,” Kup said, “None of the families came to this area.”

“And we’re sure it’s not M.E.C.H?” Miko asked.

“The signal is real, we’ve established that. But if M.E.C.H does show up, they’ll have a lot of slag to deal with.” Kup said, “Elita-one is a Carrier and a Defensive model, her protocol for children is set in her very core programming, she will not let anyone or anything harm a child. No matter whose side that child is on. Same goes for Blitz and Comet.” 

“But M.E.C.H are humans.” Jack said.

“Femme don’t care if you are metal or squishy when you threaten a child.” Comet Trail said as she came in, “Bitlets and younglings are rare and so very precious to our race now a days and to threaten one in the presence of a femme, even if she is not the child’s mother, is signing your death warrant. A femme will lash out and she will murder those who are a danger to the Bitlet.”

“Wow.” Raf said as he adjusted his glasses.

~ “Optimus,” ~ Elita-one commed in suddenly. ~ “Code delta-three-two-seven-red.” ~

“Understood.” Optimus responded and cut the commlink. “Ratchet set up a ground bridge to Team Elita’s base and go cut the entire base off from the outside comms with our base and set up a blocking field. Comet Trail, Arcee, Night Blight take everything necessary you can carry and go with him, we will bring the rest later.”

“Um….?” Miko asked.

“Code Delta is High Ranked P.O.W.” Kup explained ex-venting a puff of smoke from his cy-gar. “This just got complicated.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Blitz Racer carefully scooped the earth away from the small pod by hand, taking extra care not to block the light from the sun as the twin frames inside the pod showed signs of life and awareness, but they were sluggish and slow to respond to any sound as Elita hurriedly worked to open the pod.

The two little ones inside were registering a neutrals, and they had clearly been awake for a while but without proper light form the sun to feed themselves and no more rations inside the pod to feed on they were losing energy, they needed to be let out and to be fed or they could fade away forever. The signal having been masked for so long due to a natural metal deposit that surrounded the pod, making it nearly impossible for the destress signal to be found. 

A quake in the area had allowed them to find the pod, a small version of a sleeper pod but clearly tailor made to fit the two little frames inside.

Elita one suddenly stopped her work, as if shocked and Blitz Racer looked up. “Ma’am?”

“They aren’t Neutral.” Was all Elita-one said then continued her work, “I’ll explain when we get them back to base. For now continue work.” She added and then opened here commlink. “Optimus, code delta-three-two-seven-red.”

~ “Understood.” ~ Optimus responded.

Blitz Racer blinked, code delta was for high ranked or important Prisoners of War but did not stop her work as she finally found the manual release hatches and began to work on them, Elita coming around to help her.

Then she saw why the code had been given.

The two inside the pod were Mini-con Frames, mechs she’d seen in vid feeds assisting Soundwave alongside a dozen others. One was silver with red highlights while the other was silver with blue highlights, their optics were covered by purple visors. They were Soundwave’s creations, a split spark pair of twins better known as Rumble and Frenzy, twin terrors who specialized in hacking, signal jamming and sabotage.

But their small size, their weak state left them no threat now and Blitz Racer felt her programming overwrite the anger and distrust of the Decepticon brand and instead fill her with the urge to protect the two small mechs before her.

“Come.” Elita-one said gently scooping Frenzy from the pod, the small mech’s frame was limp with lacking energy and he gave a broken, weak whine as he was taken away from his brother, trying to reach back and hold onto his brother until Elita handed him to Blitz Racer, then retrieved Rumble and skilfully placed to two together in the younger femme’s arms. “They need medical aid and Energon.”

Blitz Racer nodded, but said nothing, unable to make the link between the two weak little mechs in her arms and the awfully behaviour and foul-mouthed little terrors that had been seen in the vid clips so many times. The Ground Bridge opened swiftly before them as they exited the cave they had been in, but just before it closed behind them, Blitz Racer felt like someone was behind her only to brush it off as the twins in her arms gave a weak whine, shifting slowly and sluggishly trying to find warmth.

Leaving the Ground Bridge, Comet Trail stepped forwards, taking the little ones from Blitz Racer for a few seconds to carefully wrap them both in a warm blanket each while Night Blight hovered by them with a handheld scanner, checking the two small mechs over for injuries or viruses before stepping back as Blitz Racer took the two little ones back and Optimus brought two small low to mid-grade energon cubes from the store. 

“You must stay with them here, not go outside and keep them under close watch.” Optimus said as both Frenzy and Rumble extended their own miniature whiskers from their frames and began to drink from the cube.

“We can do that.” Blitz Racer said.

“If you need anything, Elita one and Arcee will contact me directly and it will be brought to you. until we have a better plan, you three will be their primary carers.” Optimus explained.

“Yes sir.” Was the chorused answer from the three younger femmes while Arcee nodded silently though she did not look at all impressed with the situation. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

Megatron knew, no matter what others thought, that Soundwave was a Sire first, a loyal Decepticon second.

He’d seen his third tear mechs apart for their threats to his creations, witnessed first-hand the lengths Soundwave would go to when the need to protect his children came into action and knew, even as the leader of his faction he would not win against Soundwave if he dared to stand between the silent mech and one of his creations. If anyone dared to lay harm upon the little Decepticons, arguable the most valuable and most loyal of his subordinates in the early days, Soundwave would not be stopped until that mech or femme was brought to a painful death. 

When Soundwave had found the signal, Ratbat had given a worried sound that instantly caught Starscream’s attention and within seconds the seeker was at the terminal, helping Soundwave scan and search for the signal that had caused such a sound to come from the normally silent child, finding and locking into the signal, Ratbat had left with Soundwave’s silent command to recon the area.

The images relayed to them by Ratbat moments later left Megatron in a very, VERY unstable space.

Soundwave stood, silently watching the Autobot femme Blitz Racer hold his two young creations and carry them off into the Ground Bridge. The danger was minimal as no Autobot would ever lay harm on a child no matter their fraction, but there was the small matter that there was no way of knowing where the Autobot Base was and thus at current, a retrieval was not possible and that would likely mean Soundwave was not going to respond to orders until the children were safely back in his presence again. Normally this was not a problem, Megatron had long ago learnt that is was best to allow Soundwave to leave his work to the higher intelligence Vehicons and let him work on finding his creations when they were in this sort of situation and be ready to welcome to small Decepticons into the fold once again, as he had done so with Ratbat.

Ravage, Rumble and Frenzy, being the oldest of Soundwave’s children, were the only ones who had been chosen to go into Sleeper Pods and set to protect a small but rich natural cluster of Energon, the rest of Soundwave’s creations were in pods in the silent mech’s personal chambers of the Nemesis, a combined space of four rooms to allow the small ones a safe place to stay when not on missions and to prepare for missions, though Soundwave had agreed to let them sleep until their skills were in greater need and Ratbat, being the youngest of the children, remained awake and connected to Soundwave as a means of surviving.

But now, two of the three were in the hold of the Autobots and Ravage was still sleeping in her pod, unable to wake due to the misfortune of being trapped under a metal rich layer of rock. Megatron sent Breakdown to dig the cyber feline out of the rock ad bring her aboard while also making sure Knockout could tend any injuries as neither Rumble or Frenzy looked well as they were carried off.

Then he turned to Soundwave. 

“I will not ask you to ignore this, but I will say this. They are in minimal danger with the femmes and unless you are sure of your actions, I ask that you not act without consulting with Starscream first. For their safety as well as your own.” 

Odd as it would sound to others, Starscream’s drive to protect children over rode his traitorous streak, as the seeker was very fond of the little creations that Soundwave had with him even before the loss of his train mates and it was not uncommon for an officer to find at least two of the young ones close to or even hanging off of Starscream’s limps in the early days.

Soundwave gave a silent nod, watching Knockout lift the Sleep pod lid from the third pod, delicately lifting the limp and still slumbering form of his eldest creation, Ravage from the faint mist of stasis and gently set the feline frame down on a padded berth, quickly placing a cube of Energon close to the frame while he scanned and checked for any injuries that could have happened.

Slow from the long sleep, Ravage struggled to lift her head, ears starting to move and hone in on the sounds around her until at last she seemed to realize she was safe and brought her head to the cube, though she struggled to take a drink until Knockout placed a straw into the cube to help her. The dull colours of the feline’s frame began to brighten and saturate again to show the same blue plating as Soundwave’s with small hints of black over her paws and tail tip.

She gave a small line of Cybertronian soundbite, a question Knockout answered by shaking his helm. “No, you are not being sent on a mission yet, you just came out of a energon deprived stasis and you need time to recover.” He told her. “claws out if you please.” He added.

The feline released her claws, letting the medic carefully inspect them and insure they were still in good care and nod as he stepped back. “She’s ok, just hungry and slow from the lack of energy. Give her at least 24 hours to get her bearings then you can start sending her out.” Knockout instructed as Soundwave stepped up, gentle hands petting his eldest’s back as she gave a deep purr and let her Sire lift her up and carry her away.

Megatron watched but said nothing, his plans would have to wait for now.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Elita-one and Arcee were always close by but never interfering with the care of the two mechs with Blitz Racer. Comet Trail brought out the extra blankets to help the two stay warm while Night Blight worked to try and clear up a small number of viruses and system faults inside the two little ones. 

Rumble was mostly quiet and seemed to be the better off of the two able to at least speak and answer with some cognitive control over his body and with more energy and a faster recovery state then his brother, Frenzy seemed to have come off much worse from the lacking energy in the pod, he was sluggish and struggled to boot up from recharge to take his energon, he had no cognitive control of his limps or voice and instead of speaking he counited with sound bites and energy field pulses. He didn’t fight when Blitz Racer cradled him and gently helped him drink from the cube, though he would always reach out with one of his whiskers to hold onto Rumble, a silent assurance that he was not being taken away form his brother.

Rumble hovered by Blitz Racer’s legs watching the femme care for his brother and while he had at first been worried they would try and separate them, when the other femme came in and gently lifted him up so he could be next to his brother while she cleaned up the empty cubes and restocked with fresh ones, he realized that they weren’t going to be leaving the room so much as being housed inside it.

“Is he gonna be ok?” he asked as the medic femme carefully ran a scanner over Frenzy’s form.

“Hard to say, the lacking solar energy and low quality rations you both had were barely enough to keep you going once the pod was damaged and when they ran out you were trying to feed on the pod systems themselves, which were riddled with static energy and raw fuel that wouldn’t have been healthy for you.” The femme said, “But we have the equipment and energon to help him, he just needs time to rest and recover himself is all.”

“How long will that take?” Rumble asked.

“If we are lucky and this is just a severer case of stasis lag, only a duo-cycle, but to make sure that is all we are dealing with, I need a full system scan from both of you.” The medic said.

“Thanks Blight.” Blitz Racer nodded.

“Blight?” Rumble repeated.

“My name is Night Blight.” The medic said and gently offer her hand to Rumble in greeting. “She’s Blitz Racer and the other femme who comes in with the energon is Comet Trail.” 

“You already know us… Why aren’t we in a cell?” Rumble asked.

“Because Autobots don’t lock up children who need help.” Blitz Racer said. “Besides, since you are technically younglings, you can’t be locked in a cell without a care giver, and since Soundwave’s not here, you get me.” Blitz Racer explained.

“So… you’re going to help him?” Rumble asked. “No charge or anything?”

“Charge?” Blitz Racer and Night Blight asked.

“Hook use to charge us for repairs.”

“Fragger.” Night Blight snipped, “No Medic worth their plates should charge for repairs. No little one, we aren’t going to charge you for repairing you or your brother, but there are some rules you’ll need to follow.” 

“Ok…. What are those?” he asked.

“Simple, one, don’t make a fuss, two, don’t try and run off and three, please don’t hack into our systems.” Night Blight stated.

“That’s it?” 

“Would you rather I gave you the whole code of rules we have to follow?” Comet Trail asked as she came in carrying a small stack of D-pads and a scanner for the Night Blight. “Trust me there are like five hundred of them.” 

Rumble gave a quick shake of his helm, “No, three rules is good.” He assured.

“Good mech, now, how’s the littlest?” she asked as she watched Frenzy weakly try to hold the cube himself though he could hardly lift his fingers.

“We’re about to find out.” Night Blight said, taking the hand held scanner and carefully held it over Rumble, slowly passing the beam over his frame and checking the readings closely before nodding. “everything normal with you. now, Frenzy.”

Rumble stepped back just a little while holding Frenzy’s whisker in his own while Comet Trail held the cube and Blitz Racer removed the blanket to show that Frenzy was shaking violently inside the warm blankets though his frame was still deathly cold to the touch.

The scanner gave a soft bleeping alert and Night Blight looked worried. “Oh.”

“What is it?” Rumble asked.

“Does Frenzy suffer from S.F Syndrome?” 

“No.” Rumble shook his head, “he’s never had Spark trouble.” 

“Then we need to hurry.” She said. “Elita, I need them in medical bay. Now.” The medic added though Comet Trail had already forced the door open while Blitz Racer scoped up Rumble and carried both of them to the medical bay, Night Blight telling Comet Trail what to grab and where to put it while Blitz Racer set the two of them down on the berth to give Night Blight room to work, hooking Frenzy to system support monitors and setting up an energon drip to keep him fed. “I need to know everything your brother is allergic to, everything his systems have ever suffered with.”

Rumble didn’t ask questions he just talked, he explained everything as he knew it like an open book, realizing that what he was watching wasn’t false worry or an act to get answers as Frenzy gave him a weak, fearful pulse of energy. 

“But we were given our checks before we went into the pod, nothings happening to me… Why is he so sick?” Rumble asked.

“It’s a targeted attack on his systems.” Night Blight said already working on a terminal to run the necessary programs to help Frenzy. “Someone manually put a virus into your pod and it attacked the first system it found, we can save him, but we have to work now.”

“Do you need the virus to make the anti-virus?” Comet Trail asked, already grabbing a spare data slug from the medical space.

“It would be a huge help.” Blight nodded.

Comet Trail nodded and turned to Elita. “I can get there and back faster than Blight and I’m not the primary care giver.”

“Go.” Elita nodded, “I’ll have Hot Rod meet you on the way.”

Rumble watched Comet Trail go, struggling to keep some hope that his brother would be ok.

Hot Rod pulled up alongside Comet Trail moments after she left the base, flooring their acceleration peddles to reach their destination at top speed, skidding off the tarmac into the dirt and when their tiers couldn’t keep up, Comet Trail shifted back to her bot form and ran the rest of the way, plugging in the data slug and began to work.

“You got it?”

“Give me five minutes.” Comet Trail said, muttering in cybertronian as she worked, typing rapidly at the small terminal of the pod. “Looks like someone else found the pod first and instead of reporting it tried to test some kind of new virus.”

“On younglings?” Hot Rod demanded in out rage. “Cons or not they’re just kids!”

“Easy targets to the sick minded fraggers, Hots.” Comet Trail reminded, unaware of the eyes watching and relaying images to another. “Whoever did this, they were careful, but they weren’t smart.”

“What do you mean?” Hot Rod asked moving to look at the screen.

“Autobot coding has basic command structure in old Iacon script under the main Virus, Decepticon coding has Kaon script, Soundwave’s coding have a mix of old Darkmount, Kaon, Tran and even some old Decacorn thrown in, fun to work with but a pain to write out and the Seekers have Vosian scripts, everyone has their own way of writing code, but the script base is like a finger print, and this code was written with a Kaon base.”

“So, wait another CON did this?” Hot Rod asked in shocked realization. “But why? They’d be literally fighting the second most powerful Gladiator of Kaon’s pits and the most powerful ranked officer in Megatron’s army!”

“Whoever it was, they did a good job masking the virus and writing it to run like a normal program, so no one noticed it unless they were looking for it. Frag I don’t even think Soundwave would know who write this, it’s all muddled up when it isn’t running in junk files and bogus protocols.” Comet Trail said, finishing her checks and then moved to check something else. “Help me find the Energon Tank on this thing.”

“Why?”

“Because according to these read outs, the tank was full until two days ago and there is no report of damage.” Comet Trail said and with a little lifting she looked at the tank carefully, “It’s been drained.”

“So, you’re saying a Con came here, found two of Soundwave’s kids, planted a Virus in one of them and then drained the Energon tank out so they’d both starve to death even if the Virus didn’t work?”

“That’s exactly what I am saying.” Comet Trail said, taking the data-slug when it pinged complete. “We have to get this back to Blight. She can work on an Anti-Virus with this better than starting from scratch.” 

“Does the little one have that time?” Hot Rod asked.

“Night Blight won’t let either of them die. Cons or not they are still just kids.” Comet Trail said echoing his previous statement, “Come on.” 

The eyes watched them leave and slowly Ratbat hovered out of the darkness and flew after them.

Moments after reaching the tarmac of the road again, Comet Trail saw a shadow over them and growled, “Frag.” 

“What?” Hot Rod asked and then saw the shadow himself. “Great.”

“Go. You don’t have time to play games with this freak.” She said and gave Hot Rod a slight push to get him going, silently passing him the data slug. “You drive faster than me.” 

Hot Rod nodded and took off, hearing Comet Trail floor it behind him as they raced off, hearing shots coming at them only for them to skim past or miss entirely as he swerved and wove around Comet Trail to make targeting hard for Airachnid as the femme con chased them.

“Comet Trail to Elita-one! We have the coding for the Anti-virus but we have Air-bitch on our tail! A Ground bridge would be really nice right now.” A shot slammed into Comet Trail’s rear windscreen, shattering it and the resulting hiss was filled with anger. “Sometime today!” 

~ “We’re *static* on it!” ~ Arcee answered with a static filled channel.

Comet Trail growled as another shot skimmed her side. “Hot Rod.” 

“Don’t even think it!” Hot Rod snapped, “You can’t fight her alone!”

“You have the goods,” Comet Trail reminded him, “Get it back to Blight and if anyone gives you frag, tell ’em I said it was ok.”

“CT!” Hot Rod yelled in panic as Comet Trail slammed on her breaks, snatching her rifle as she shifted back to her bot form and opened fire on Airachnid.

“Come on!”

Ratbat watched silently, relaying everything back to Soundwave as Airachnid tried to get past Comet Trail and go after the Son of Prime, only to have her rotors shot up forcing her down to the ground, one final shot to hopefully keep the spider down and Comet Trail fell back into her vehicle form and raced after Hot Rod.

A ground bridge opened up ahead of the son of Prime and Soundwave watched the speeder vanish into the swirling vortex, turning his attention to Comet Trail as she raced closer and closer to the bridge. Then a shot came at her and the bridge closed up with a violent explosion of smoke and flames that threw Comet Trail’s vehicle form into the air with so much force that she was forced to change back to her robot form to avoid damage as Arachnid’s webs sprung up and trapped the femme.

He looked to his left as the ground bridge was opened and watched Starscream and a small troop of Vehicons follow Megatron though to the other side.

A Ground bridge opened suddenly and Airachnid moved to attack only to stop as Megatron himself stepped out of the swirling mass of light, lifting one arm as Ratbat glided down, Starscream following the huge mech though the light with a death glare at the Decepticon Femme.

“Escort Airachnid back to the ship.” Megatron ordered firmly and Starscream silently nodded, the Vehicons move to obey as the huge mech turned to Comet Trail, listening as Ratbat relayed something to him before he spoke. “You would do well to behave while you are amongst us.” He told her.

“Keep that whore and the frag mech Motormaster out of my sight and I won’t scarp anyone.” She traded. “Even you can’t deny a fair trade.”

“Acceptable.” Megatron said, grabbing her by the shoulder and tore her free of the webbing, Starscream placing a pair of cuffs on her wrists as they walked her back though their ground bridge.

~@~@~@~@~@~

‘Taking a slight vacation on the Nemesis. Hots has the data slug you guys need to help the kid, maybe Kup can help figure out who did this to them. DO NOT come for me. The little ones matter more right now.  
See you guys soon.’

Blitz Racer had cursed up a storm when that message came to them shortly after the Ground bridge had shorted out with a violent burst of smoke and fire, a result of someone firing a short into the bridge that hit the structure on the other side shorting it out. Comet Trail had done it deliberately it seemed, a means of making sure the cons didn’t find the base.

“We can’t just ignore that they have her.” Night Blight said though she continued to work.

“We will focus on our task of keeping Rumble and Frenzy healthy and comfortable while Optimus deals with the matter.” Elita-one said. “Comet Trail can handle herself.”

The words were spoken with great confidence, and while Elita-one would not admit it aloud to avoid stirring fear in the sparks of the others, she was worried that Comet Trail would not be as lucky as she had been before. She could only hope that no Con did anything to trigger Comet Trail’s violent streak, and while she doubted Megatron would allow it she couldn’t help but worry about other mechs like Motormaster and possibly the danger Airachnid could pose if Comet Trail was not on her guard.

‘Primus watch over her.’ Elita-one prayed. ‘Please, watch over her.’


	10. 9

9

Comet Trail was only slight surprised she didn’t end up in a cell when they reached the Nemesis, instead Starscream and four armed guards along with one Insecticon escorted her to Soundwave’s lab and she was restrained in a caged off section of the room, big enough for her to sit comfortably in and there was a small fold out cot in there, but it was better than hanging from the chains.

She huffed softly and sank down into the floor and put her helm on her knees and went back over the events leading to this current set up. Finding a signal, following it thinking it was a bitlet only to find it was the Decepticon Twins Rumble and Frenzy in a pod that clearly couldn’t held them anymore, working to get them back up to strength only to find Frenzy had a virus that needed intense care, going back to the pod to get the original Virus and then a fight with Airachnid and getting caught by Megatron himself. 

Yep, she was in deep fragging slag this time, but at least she wasn’t being tortured. She didn’t have the same level of intelligence information in her helm as Special Ops mechs like her Carrier had, and she wasn’t a high rank officer like her Sire she was just a grunt, cannon fodder to be tossed into battle like the legendary Ironhide, Kup and even Ratchet in his days as a young mech. She wasn’t valuable to Megatron as a hostage, but then again, Megatron wasn’t the one who wanted her.

Soundwave had lost his children to her side, and likely only recently learnt of the Virus that now threatened Frenzy’s life, she was more use to Soundwave as a means of learning how his sons were health wise rather than as a P.O.W.

Hearing movement, Comet Trail looked up and scanned the room, finding a small pair of eyes watching her with a faintly curious glint. She realized she knew who those eyes belonged too and smiled putting her head back down, “Hello Ravage.”

The feline made a sound of greeting and Comet Trail heard her walking closer, not because she was good at listening but because Ravage let herself be heard. “My little brothers… are they behaving?”

“Frenzy was hardly in the state to be causing mischief when I left. Rumble was with him.” The Sniper said she had no reason to lie to the feline spy after all and unlike other who would confuse her small size for a child’s, Comet Trail had learnt a long time ago that Ravage was the oldest of Soundwave’s children the first born spark. According to her Carrier this feline frame was older than Comet Trail.

Ravage was an adult, but at that same time, she was small enough to be mistaken for a child and that, Comet Trail knew, was used to the feline’s advantage.

“Ratbat said you were looking for a Virus in their pod… that someone had drained the tank to let them starve.” Ravage pressed, her tail lightly tapping against the cage bars.

“Yea… Someone found them, planted a Virus that attached to Frenzy and then let their reserve tank out… no spillage though so they must have had a container.” The Sniper nodded, “Couldn’t tell you who though, I’m not a coding expert.”

“You took a copy from the pod?” Ravage asked.

“Can’t make a good Anti-Virus without the base to go off it.” Comet Trail stated.

Ravage made a light growl then stepped back as the door to the room slide open and Comet Trail heard the hovering of Ratbat pass over head and the light steps of Soundwave coming towards her. She didn’t tense up or give any signs of aggression to the silent mech though, as they would not do her any good right now and so instead she just sat there and waited knowing that the silent mech would eventually speak to her and their interaction would go from there.

The gentle slosh of energon to her left and she blinked, looking up to find a small cube of energon being held out to her by one of Soundwave’s whiskers. “Thanks.” She said taking the cube. “Low grade?” she checked.

The masked mech nodded. Then showed an image of his twin creations.

“They are getting low to mid-grade to help slowly boost their energy levels back up, when we found them they were both on fumes.”

“Because according to these read outs, the tank was full until two days ago and it’s been drained.” Her own voice answered her.

“Ok… I’m officially never going into a cave until its scanned again.” Comet Trail said as she looked at Ratbat. “At least you don’t make me sound like a low born Tower consort.” 

“How do you even know what one of those sounds like?” Ravage asked.

“My Sire and Carrier taught me enough to know that anyone who talks about themselves like they are Primus’s gift to meches and femmes but can only afford cheap wax and fake jewels is just a want to be someone.” Comet Trail said, sipping her cube. “So yea, your boys are ok, at least they will be now, Night Blight can work with the data we copied from the pod to make an Anti-Virus to save Frenzy.”

“And no one would question her loyalty for that?” Ravage asked.

“No femme, be she mother or barren, shalt ignore the call of the weak and small, to protect the future the bearers must suffer pains and strains in their stead, lest the future become frail and break from one small breeze.” Comet Trail recited and Ravage blinked, she knew that snippet of speech well and by spark having been there when it was written but to hear it from an Autobot…

“You have read” “Peace though Tyranny?” a recording of Breakdown and Megatron asked.

Comet Trail shrugged. “Megatron may be losing his footing and a complete nut job for bringing back that filth we call Unicorn’s Blood. But he wrote some good things.”

The door slid open and Knockout stepped inside the room, focused on a D-pad while Breakdown brought in a tray of small cubes and some medical tools. “Ravage, up on the table if you please, I need to check your systems.”

“A Con medic who says please, my aren’t you the lucky ones.” Comet Trail mockingly huffed, catching the shocked moment of confusion that crossed Knockout’s face at her voice then he seemed to catch up with what had happened and cleared his vents to compose himself.

“Well, this is quite the shock, Soundwave I had no idea you were taking tips from Airachnid about trophies.” Knockout joked though the words were clearly spoken with the faint hint of distain and disgust. 

“He isn’t,” Ravage assured, gracefully jumping onto the table. “She’s here because Airachnid caught her while she and the Son of the Prime were trying to recover a Virus from the pod to help make an Anti-virus to save Frenzy.”

“Ah, that explained why Airachnid is being yelled at by our Lord and Master at present.” Knockout said, carefully checking and inspecting Ravage’s body, scanning her with a small scanner and making notes. “Open up.”

Ravage growled and then opened her mouth wide, showing off sharp fangs as Knockout carefully inspected them and nodded, “at least you kept your teeth in good care.” 

“Energon.” Soundwave’s recording of Starscream stated suddenly and the silent mech pointed at a small pool of energon that had been slowly growing at Comet Trail’s side.

“Where the scrap is that coming from?” Comet Trail asked trying to look over her own back. “I don’t feel anything…”

Soundwave’s whiskers coiled into the cage and held her still cuffed wrists while the bars slide away and Knockout moved to get a better look, careful not to put his hands anywhere inopportune as he worked, “Hmmm, looks like glass managed to get into your frame, under the armour plating.” He said after carefully scanning the area.

“Great.” Comet Trail huffed, “More scars.” 

Knockout made no comment, but the stored the information away as he looked carefully at the injury. “It would be easier to remove, if your armour were not so fitted.” He admitted.

Comet Trail sighed. “There’s a catch on the underside of the panelling right over my Spinal struct,” she said and Knockout carefully searched for the catch, finding it easily and with a light tug the upper panelling around Comet Trail’s waist and stomach sagged and moved to show it was in fact a type of flexible and durable armour plating.

The Frame underneath was badly scared and marred with marks from multiple surgeries Knockout knew instantly were a sign of reformat, but he said nothing as he carefully worked to remove the shard of glass form her frame, taking a small tub of cold gooey like gel and applying it to the cut once it was cleaned before placing a small patch over it.

“That should hold for a few days, but you will need it looking at again to insure it heals correctly without infection.” He said as he refastened the armour for her.

“Thanks Doc.” She smiled softly.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Rumble watched Blitz Racer carefully tend Frenzy as his brother struggled to find any comfort despite the best efforts of himself and Night Blight. 

It hurt seeing him like this, but at the same time he was happy that someone caring and someone nice was holding him, gently humming and soothing him with little snips of Cybertronian music and some little tales to distract him from any pain. 

He knew Elita-one, the mate of the Optimus Prime himself was always close by, but she and that other femme didn’t come close to them often so he made sure to mostly avoid them and instead gravitate to the two young femmes, watching then work and trying so very hard not to freak out every time he watched Frenzy’s systems fritz because of the virus inside him.

That was why he was currently sat on a separate berth, letting Night Blight very carefully inspect his internals to get a better idea of what was happening to Frenzy as they were basically the same mechs in frame, but the colours and personalities were the defining differences.

The Virus, according to the data slug Hot Rod had brought back, was trying to locate a file inside Frenzy’s internal systems, a file that according to all the read outs, did not exist inside the red twin or even inside Rumble.

“What file is it looking for?” Rumble asked as Night Blight checked her work over again and then went to typing rapidly at the terminal as he closed his chest and arms back up.

“Some kind of dormant running file according to all this, its job is to find this file, then destroy it completely.” Night Blight said without pausing her work. “but somehow its instead now just attacking Frenzy’s systems.”

“Can you help him?” Rumble asked.

“That’s what this is for.” Night Blight said using her foot to tap a small box at her side that she had attached to the terminal, “All I have to do is run the last few simulations and we should have an Anti-Virus to cure the Virus.”

“That was fast work.” Rumble said, “I don’t think Mixmaster could do it that fast.”

“I had a few tricks and traits my sisters helped me learn.” Night Blight smiled, “Blitz made this for me so I could test coding an Anti-Virus’s without hurting anyone. And Comet Trail lets me test my simulations on her visor now and then just to make sure its not noticeable to the untrained.”

“She a code reader?”

“No, but she studied under Spec ops for a time, that’s why she’s got the visor.” Blight smiled, “That and she loves making mechs think she can read their thoughts with it.”

“They fall for that?” Rumble cackled. “I like the sound of that femme.” He said then blinked as the box gave a light bleep-beep and Night Blight began to check the results before nodded. 

“Blight.” 

Both of then turned to see Blitz Racer holding Frenzy against her chest, the red mech’s mask filled with static and random strings of coding, “He’s joints are locked up, his vocals are static filled, and he can’t hear anything.”

Night Blight nodded to the berth. “Set him down, Rumble I need you to hold his hands for me so I can do this without hurting him, keep him from moving if you can.” Rumble nodded and used his hands and whiskers to gently hold Frenzy steady but also firmly a silent way of asking him to stay still and the medic help him as Night Blight carefully opened a small port on the red twins neck and delicately hooked Frenzy up to the monitor of the terminal.

Carefully laying Frenzy back against Blitz’s arms, She moved back to her station and began to type rapidly, slowly the static screen faded to a clear gentle glow and then with a series of small pops and clicks his joints unlocked and he went limp against Blitz’s arms, though he shook his head when she pointed to her audio.

Night Blight came back with a fresh new data slug and smiled, using her energy field to reach out and relay comfort as she spoke. “This is the Anti-Virus. But for it to work, you have to sleep.”

Rumble nodded and moved his hands in swift signs and shapes to show his brother what was being said and Frenzy nodded, letting Night Blight carefully insert the data-slug, relaxing into a sleep cycle easily as the Anti-Virus ran its course.

“Will he be ok when its done?” Rumble asked.

“He will be as long as he rests, and the Anti-virus isn’t interrupted.” Night Blight assured, “And just to be sure you don’t get the same Virus, I can hook you in and get you set up so you can fight it off if need be.”

“Thanks Doc.” Rumble nodded, still holding one of Frenzy’s hands as he lay next to Frenzy and let Night Blight plug a second data slug into him, Blitz Racer carefully placed a sheet over them both as a means to keep them warm while they slept. However he didn’t shut down his audios and was able to listen to everything that was said around him.

“Will they be ok?” Blitz Racer asked.

“They will be fine. Comet Trail managed to get everything from the pod so the Anti-Virus is as good as it can be,” Night Blight said, “I’m more worried about what that Virus is meant to be doing.” 

“And what is that exactly?” Arcee asked.

“It was made to attack Soundwave.” Night Blight said, “It’s trying to find a core programming, the bond between creation and child, the Virus is attacking Frenzy as he is the youngest and thus, most likely to reach out to Soundwave, the Virus is trying to force him to connect with Soundwave and that would then transfer the Virus into Soundwave.”

“Sparks…” Elita one sighed. “And he has survived this long?”

“He’s got the best fire walls and system blockers I’ve ever seen in a mech his size, and so has Rumble, but I think the Virus is using bogus programming to try and weaken those walls and blockades to make itself stronger.” Night Blight said, “It’s like someone made a living coding of the Tox-En and Cybonic Plague and then mixed them up with something else, I just haven’t found what yet.”

“Keep on it, and once they are settled and healthy, we can focus on getting Comet Trail back.”

“Yes ma’am.”


	11. 10

10

Prime. Lady.  
My trade is simple.  
My sons for the femme.   
Soundwave.

~

Soundwave.  
Your sons are in no state to leave our care, Frenzy is unable to move even with the anti-virus fighting the infection inside him and Rumble will not be parted from his twin.  
A trade is needed, but you know as well as I that the ship has no facility to purge the virus as we do.   
Prime. Lady.

~

Prime. Lady.  
ETA?  
Soundwave.

~

Soundwave.  
Night Blight and Ratchet estimate Frenzy will be safe for travel in six earth days.  
As a show of good will, we will be turning over everything we have about the virus that did this to Frenzy, Kup believes it is of Kaon origin, but he is unable to pinpoint where.  
We ask that you give us proof Comet Trail is safe.  
Prime. Lady.  
Attached files; 009-MBG-75068-HN-63057.  
Data Report Case 001. and 002.

~

Prime. Lady.  
We trade in seven days, my sons for femme.  
You may choose location.  
Image taken three clicks ago.  
Soundwave.  
Attached file; IMAGE-00936863.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Soundwave’s lab wasn’t as bad as the stories made it sound, really, sure it was filled with strange bits and parts, and yes there was a strange air to the place that left her plates feeling strange, but Soundwave was never cruel to her, he brought her energon often, let her have access to the human weather channel and a data pad that played old cybertronian music to drown out the sounds of Motormaster yelling. He didn’t stop her reaching through the bars of her cell to play a game of conquest and control with Ravage, nor did he seem to mind when she told Ratbat more about the human music culture. He was careful not to move her around too much and he made sure to keep an optic out for anymore Energon pools that formed around her.

Now and then, Soundwave would stop his work and the continue, as if he had heard something that no one else could hear. The ship suddenly rattled with enough force to throw Soundwave to the ground, Ravage fall off the shelf she’d been sleeping on while Comet Trail was harshly slammed into the bars of her cage.

“What happened?” Ravage snarled only for the ship to jerk again and this time harshly.

“All Forces! Battle Station!!” Megatron’s voice boomed over the intercom. 

“The Frag is going on out there!?” Comet Trail yelled over the alarms. 

“We’ll let you know when we get back.” Ravage assured slipping into the vents.

The ship rocked again, this time with enough force to shatter something glass in the room while Comet Trail struggled to keep herself from being thrown around by the impacts.

She listened struggling to find anything useful in the shouting and yelling of the mechs outside over the scream of the alarms at first then she caught a few words. Shuttles. Three. Autobots. Not Prime. Not Elita. She strained to hear more then she smiled as she heard the names of the ships. The Jackhammer. Wheeljack was here. The Bandwave and The Shieldbearer. Blaster and Ironhide had come to Earth.

She would have felt happy and started to call out to them via comms, but that would ruin any chance Soundwave had of knowing if his bitlets were ok. She was silent, even as she felt the tell-tale field of a jammer wash over her, she did not attempt to use her commlink. She didn’t argue when Megatron stormed into the room and grabbed her out of the cell. She didn’t make a run for it when she was brought outside or when Megatron levelled his cannon with her helm. 

The three Shuttles came to a stop above them. “You’re move, Autobots.” Megatron snarled.

~ “Comet Trail?!” ~ A melodic voice gasped in panic.

“I’m alright Blaster.” She said calmly. “Get your afts to base.”

~ “You sure, kid?” ~ Wheeljack asked.

Comet Trail nodded. “I’ve got free room and board.” She assured using old Code to tell them she wasn’t Megatron’s prisoner, she wasn’t being tortured she was just being held.

~ “What is the deal here?” ~ the gruff voice of Ironhide asked. ~ “Why are you staying?” ~

“Get to base and you’ll find out.” Comet Trail stated. “I’ve snuffed two of his best on my own.” That got her a sharp glare from Megatron. “I can handle myself.”

There was silence for a few minutes, Soundwave showing a signal between an unknown sender and both shuttles, then without warning, the three shuttles banked away and vanished into a ground bridge.

“Explain, child.” Megatron snarled, his weapon still levelled at her helm.

“Overlord thought he was invincible, I proved him wrong.” She told him bluntly. “And as for your so call brother? I cut him to fragments, just like he boasted he’d done to my sire.”

Megatron looked at her, optics scanning for the hint she was lying, for the twitch to give away the deception in her words that all Autobots had and yet, he found none. Her words, cold and sharp as any Decepticon were truthful.

“You would make a fine Decepticon.” He told her and lowered his cannon. 

“Just because I have a violent streak doesn’t make me a blind fool.” Comet Trail stated, not fighting as Soundwave took her cuffs in his whisker and lead her back to his lab. “Besides, if I was a con, you’d be out of a job.” She added as she was lead away.

Megatron did not doubt that.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“You’re fragging me.” Wheeljack growled as he got the run down of the situation from Bulkhead. “The twin runts are at the Lady’s Base and that fragger has Comet as a trading chip?”

“As far as we know, Megatron isn’t the one holding her. All our correspondences have been though Soundwave on an encrypted channel. He wants his bitlets returned to him safely and in return, he has promised Comet Trail will not be harmed.” Kup explained taking a drag from his cy-gar. “As far that stunt you three lug-nuts pulled, you had better hope Blitz and Blight aren’t taking a break from bitlet sitting any time soon to come and crack your plates for causing tension.” 

“So, what do we do now?” Hot Rod asked. “We still have six days to wait.”

“We wait and we prepare to do the trade properly.” Kup said, “Without shots or knives, Jackie.” He added with a knowing look at the Wrecker.

“No promises there, old timer, that kid’s all we got left of the best sniper and the best scout in Autobot history. If she’s got any kind of scratch on her, I’ll skin those cons myself.” Wheeljack stated.

“Get in line.” Kup told the sword mech.


	12. 11

11

It had been a slow two days since he’d woken up from his virus caused coma, slowly readjusting to his systems and fuelling up while Rumble kept him updated on the situation, Blaster was here on Earth now, along with the Wrecker Wheeljack and the old Weapon Master Ironhide, and with them had come old rivals, Eject and Rewind, who had been eager to tease them, until the femme medic had pulled out a odd looking needle and the two had taken off running for their Sire’s legs to hide.

A stern talking too and a less then pleased Night Blight had set the two of them down on a separate berth to undergo the same treatment Frenzy and Rumble had gone through just to be safe and Blitz Racer had gone toe to toe with Wheeljack and Ironhide to try and vent some of the building tension while their friend was hosted aboard the Nemesis. 

Now Frenzy was going though some small exercises, bending his limbs, testing his joints and whiskers to make sure they were all still working correctly and carefully testing his limits as he tried to stand up on his own and walk. A task that was made harder by the lingering effects of the virus leaving his stabilizers slow to recalibrate. 

“Feeling any better?” Night Blight asked as she came in with energon for them.

“I feel less like a fresh thawed sleeper.” Frenzy nodded, still having to huddle under the blanket she had given him while he walked a few steps and then fell onto his aft. Rumble fiddled on a datapad, doing some puzzles and coding games to keep from getting board. “Are we getting traded soon?” he asked as she gave them both their cubes.

“Four days from now, by then your systems should be fully recovered and you’ll be stable enough to walk around on your own and heat yourself without needing the blanket to help.” The young medic assured.

“That will be nice.” Frenzy admitted, though the blanket was nice, it wouldn’t do to be seen with one amongst the Decepticons unless they were on an ice world.

“Night Blight.”

All optics turned to see Elita-one stood outside the cell/room, her face grim as she looked at the medic. “Ma’am?”

“We think we know what was done to Frenzy and what it was meant to do.” The older femme explained and then turned her gaze to the twins. “Do you both remember the Autobot Ramhorn?”

“The big beast form like Ravage who hit like a tanker?” Rumble asked to be sure whom she meant. “Yea, we remember.” He added, a weak attempt to bait at the comm officer.

“Do you know how he was killed?”

The question made both twins pause and give her a confused glance, then they looked to Night Blight who had lowered her helm and now refused to look up, trembles starting to creep up form her hands to her whole body.

“He’s dead?” Frenzy echoed.

“Murdered.” Blitz Racer said as she come in and put her hands to Night Blight’s shoulders and gently tugged her into a hug. “And we just found the missing link to tell us who did it and what their intention was.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Starscream had not been able to watch. He’d turned away the moment he recognized what the files were and who had sent them. Proof of who had attempted to kill Frenzy and Rumble with a virus, proof that it was not an isolated case and proof that one of the Decepticons’ own had been responsible. A bitlet scream from the clip and Starscream’s wings had flared up high on his back, highly stressed and also uncontrollably angry at what he’d learnt, the only reason he didn’t lash out was because he was holding Ravage, who had skilfully placed herself in the Seeker’s arms just to be sure he didn’t lash out in this lab.

Knockout was appalled and almost sick at the numbers and the images that showed the results of this one Decepticon’s virus, he’d done horrid things, tortured mechs and femmes, but never had he laid harm upon a child, he personally set the child in a pod, under the watchful eyes of Megatron himself sometimes, and sent them to the Autobots or to the neutrals. He had requested Soundwave monitor the child until they were found, he and handed a child over to their career in a war zone just to be sure the child was safe! 

This? This was not right; this was not justifiable, and it was unforgivable! 

Soundwave was outraged, his frame tense and stiff with the desire, the urge to reach though the screen and throttle the mech he saw slowly typing at the tiny pod that held the two bitlets and the images of what he had done to their brother beast former Ramhorn. Dissected and studied while the beast former was still alive. 

Megatron was silent. His attention on the Autobot femme still cuffed and under guard, while she watched the screen. Her fists were clenched tightly, her optics dark with anger and her jaw set, but she said nothing, only the faint sound of her systems turning over, and the armour shifting to lock tighter around her frame, keeping her from lashing out even with the cuffs on.

She was angry and stars help any fool who pushed her now.

The images finally stopped and a huge mech appeared on screen. ~ “I have sent this information to Optimus. He informs me that Turmoil has already infect Frenzy and that you are at present holding one of their own to trade with. We await your answer my lord.” ~ And with that the channel shut down.

Moments later a second channel attempted connection and Soundwave answered it without hesitation.

Blaster appeared on screen. ~ “You saw all that then?” ~

“We have,” “and we have found” “no indication” “the virus” “in Ravage.” Soundwave reported using a collection of voices.

“Have you checked her back up systems?” The question came from Comet Trail to Soundwave and the silent mech turned to her with a sharp hiss. “If this is the work of that frag face, you know he didn’t just put the virus inside one set of protocols, and as a Spy, Ravage has four key coding and backup systems to try and hide the virus in.” 

~ “Answer the question.” ~ Blaster snarled. ~ “Frag the war and whose side we’re on Soundwave, this is about bitlets. No one cares who the parents are when the bitlets get hurt and you know it.” ~

Soundwave was silent for a time and then he turned to Knockout as the medic stepped forwards. “Ravage’s systems are clean, back up and dormant were scanned and carefully checked using the data we were given by your medical officer, we were able to locate several attempted implants, but none were successful. What we do not understand is why Turmoil is targeting Bitlets and family units.”

~ “Because after the virus gets inside you, you are never able to link up with your bitlets again.” ~ Blaster explained. ~ “That’s the intention, this fragger tested the same virus on Beatbox and Remix, like Soundwave and I they were single creators and when they were infected though link up with their bitlets, they were unable to link up again with any of their bitlets, after a solar cycle, they and their bitlets were dead from system lockup. This fragger wants to test the theory that such a result will happen again with single Mech creators. Ramhorn died from his injuries because he refused to link with me on that level and allow the virus to spread to me and his siblings. Eject and Rewind are still suffering the lingering effects of witnessing that.” ~

“Simmer down Blaster.” Comet Trail told him. “Blight and Ratchet have more information about this fragger now so they can search for a way to stop this.” Blaster gave her a look and Comet Trail shrugged a shoulder. “I’m stuck in a box until the trade. May as well think positive.” 

Blaster blinked his optics then gave a small nod, his face betraying the sudden swell of fondness and comfort. ~ “When you get back, we’re talking.” ~

“Then you better have a batch of Platinum Grade for me.” Comet Trail told the Autobot officer.

“The Bitlets are well?” Megatron asked, finally joining the conversation and at Blaster’s nod, he turned to Soundwave. “And have you chosen a place to conduct the trade?” Coordinates flashed up on screen. Far from any humans and nicely set away from anywhere that would give either side any unfair advantage in the earth’s desert region. “Then tell Optimus my permission is gifted to the DJD to hunt this target. We are done here.” 

Blaster nodded and the channel cut off. 

“Soundwave, Starscream with me.” Megatron ordered as he left the room. “Knockout, see to it out guest his in good health.”

“Of course, my lord.” Knockout bowed watching the three officers leave the room, Ravage and Ratbat staying back to aid in transporting the femme to the medical bay so he could give Comet Trail a check over to insure her back had been healing from the glass fragment that had gotten into her frame and a general medical check-up.

Comet Trail didn’t attempt to run nor did she make a fuss, even when Ratbat swooped over her helm and made a show of taunting the femme, though both Ratbat and Ravage knew the Autobot was here by choice for the sake of their brothers, to keep up appearances they taunted and teased her, even though Knockout was silent as they followed him and the designated unit of guards to the medical bay. The guards took their usually stations, two outside the door, two at both sides of the hallway and the one insecticon who always followed the guard detail inside the medical bay by the inside of the door while Knockout injected a small sedative dose, and then removed her cuffs and let her settle on the berth.

“Any pains, strains or aches in any location of the body I should know about?” He asked.

“Does boredom count as an ache?” She asked back then shook her helm, “No pains or aches, just the strain on my wrist joints from being cuffed for so long, I can’t feel much in my right hand either.” She added. 

“Sadly, boredom is not curable through medical devices.” He said and scanned her wrists carefully checking the joints, the left he found nothing but a slight mark from the cuffs being too tight, but in the right there was small damage, a crush fracture from the cuff on her right wrist being tighter then the left and he began to search for the smaller tools to repair the minor damage he’d found. “I am not letting Motormaster cuff anyone again.” he grumbled. 

“And yet every medic I know never suffers from boredom.” She remarked, her fingers twitching as he worked, the tools likely triggering the response as she couldn’t feel anything from the elbow’s down and the knees down. The sedative having temporarily numbed her lower legs and arms to keep her from fighting.

Ravage gave a light huff at the banter between the two, the casual talk was never interesting, just a few small jokes, genuine medical advice and instructions and sometimes a few questions about who had the better paint job, though that topic was currently at a standstill since Comet Trail was not permitted to wash and wax to prove she had the better gleam. Vanity was just another mask to this femme, but she wore it well and she seemed to enjoy the chance to talk to someone outside of Soundwave and his two children however briefly and even thought it was monitored.

The ship shuddered suddenly, and Comet Trail blinked as the lights of the bay flickered rapidly. “The frag was that?”

“Breakdown?” Knockout asked into the commlink.

~ “Storm outside.” ~

“Star class model ship and a storm makes it shudder? How old is this boat?” Comet Trail asked.

“Older than we care to remember.” Knockout assured. “But the ship has never struggled to cope here or on any world.” He added and lightly gave her a tug to get off the berth and cuffed her wrists again, this time making sure they were not to tight before they headed back to the cell in Soundwave’s room.

“Four more days and I get to sleep in a real berth.” She huffed and settled on the small cot in her cell. “Thanks doc.” 

“Don’t thank me yet, you may find your own medics find something else to fuss over you about when you get home.”

“They’d have to catch me first.” 

Knockout chuckled at the clear challenge to a race but said nothing as he left.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Who is that guy?” Miko asked. “And what is the DJD?”

“His name is Turmoil.” Blaster snarled in anger at the very mention of the mech. “And the DJD are enforces for the Decepticon laws, they are Megatron’s most loyal and most trusted officers a unit he chose personally to enforce the laws of his rule upon his men after Gigatron destroyed Crystal City and attempted to say Megatron had given the order.”

“The Decepticons have laws?” Jack asked in confusion.

“The true and loyal ones do.” Kup explained. “In the first days of war, Megatron made a clear and solid case for his followers and from the ones who came up with him he picked his generals. Many of them were like minded and had a clear understanding of what Megatron wanted and were willing to help him get it. As the war dragged on, the ranks filled with scum and traitors who just wanted to fight and bath in blood. Not all the generals could pull those few from the ranks and kill them for their crimes and when Gigatron attacked the Crystal city and tried to say Megatron had ordered it, Megatron was beyond furious. He publicly denounced Gigaton’s actions and offered the neutrals of the City who had survived the attack ships, energon and aid to leave and reach safety. Then he pulled his closest generals together and they formed the Laws, and to enforce them, Megatron handpicked the finest officers from each of his top general’s ranks and thus, the DJD was born.”

“To protect the innocent and Neutrals from wrongful harm or targeting, the DJD has a list of places and regions of space they can not go unless given permission by both Megatron and Optimus. To get this, the DJD leader must give proof that the target they seek is in that region either by personally handing that efference to both leaders or by relaying information from their sources that their target in there. the respected leaders then check the information and if it is found true, the DJD is permitted to go in and for a time hunt that target until they are found and taken in, or they chase the target out.” Ratchet explained grimly. “It is brutal, and often the DJD torture their targets in their own twisted version of justice, but the number of crimes against the neutrals has been kept to a low ever since the DJD were started and it is, admittedly, one less worry of the Autobots as a whole to focus on.”

“What does that have to do with Turmoil?”

“Being that he has attacked bitlets of all sides, his name will not only be on the DJD’s list, but it will be a high one, meaning the DJD will drop their current hunt to deal with him.” Hot Rod said with a light shudder. “Oh, I do not want to be here when that call comes in.”

“None of us do.” Blitz Racer hissed. 

“Simmer down.” Elita-one soothed softly. “Go, tell Blight what we know and help her with whatever she needs, you two will not be there to help with the trade.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Blitz Racer nodded and headed off.

“So, the DJD will come here?” Raf asked.

“They will.” Optimus said grimly, “And they will stop at nothing to capture their target.”

“And then?”

“They will leave.” Elita-one said. “They come, they get their target, they kill them, and they move on. They do not stay where Megatron is stationed unless they are enforcing his laws. And no matter how Loyal they are to him, their first order is always and will always be enforce the Laws. They will not harm the humans nor will they bother us.” She added. “But to be safe, you three will have extra guard.”

“We will?” Miko asked.

“Wheeljack, you pair with Bulkhead until this is over with.” Optimus said, leaving no room to argue. “Hot Rod, you will pair with Bumblebee. Ironhide, I want you with Arcee.”

Wheeljack gave a small nod while both Hot Rod and Ironhide gave a firm. “Yes sir.”


	13. 12

12

Blitz Racer’s optics were different. 

They used to be blue, like most Autobots should have been but now they were a strange purple shade and they had been that way since she came in. Rumble made a note to mention it to Soundwave, but beyond that he chose to ignore it. The last day had been tense, what with the news of Turmoil and the DJD being on earth having unsettled everyone, Megatron and Optimus were likely going to personally oversee the DJD’s arrival and then it would just be a case of pairing up with someone if and when a patrol needed to be done, clearing the signals to make sure the DJD knew who was who and who not to chase and making sure the DJD new of the trade taking place just to be sure no one got trigger happy.

Though the bots were careful about what they said around them, Rumble knew he and Frenzy had both picked up on some small bits of information, information that, if it fell into the wrong hands, could be a death sentence but neither would be telling anyone anything unless specifically asked what they knew about the bots in question, no one really needed to know that Night Blight and Blitz Racer were worried about Comet Trail and were concern that she might snap and kill someone. No one needed to know that Hot Rod was slipping the two higher Grade energon to keep them going after a long shift, no one need to know that Night Blight was working triple shifts even when she was told not to in order to ensure the safety of the bots.

They would mention Blitz Racer’s shift in personality to Soundwave, but beyond that they would be keeping everything they had learnt to themselves. Blitz Racer and Night Blight treated them well, were kind and didn’t sneer or ignore them, even though they were Decepticons. Blitz Racer was gentle with them, always tucking them both in when they fell into recharge, always bringing them fresh energon and game pads to keep boredom away.

The change in her optics hadn’t been such a shock, as they had heard one of the trio of femmes under Elita-one’s command was a triple persona, but the bets had been on Comet Trail or Night Blight. But for some reason, Rumble found it strange that Blitz Racer was the one with the personality glitch, given the trauma and horror Comet Trail had seen and the medical drama and horrors Night Blight must have been witness too in her training.

Then, late in the night, Rumble woke to the sound of the Autobot Arcee coming in to the room to relive Night Blight of her shift and gently shoo the young medic to her berth for the night. 

“You and Blitz Racer need a break from bitlet watching, so you’ve got a patrol tomorrow, one of Comet Trail’s routes, short and swift and you’ll be back with the bitlets before they can miss you.” Arcee explained. “Lady’s orders.” 

“Yes Arcee.” Night Blight huffed softly. “Just, make sure if they wake up when we’re gone that Frenzy does his stretches and they both get their fuel. They still have strains from the sleeper pod being drained the way it was.”

“Stretches for Frenzy and energon for them both, I can handle that.” Arcee assured. “You go and see about helping calm down Blitz before she snaps.”

“I’m only one femme Arcee, C.T is the one who helps her, I just fix them.” Night Blight said.

“You do more than that and you know it.” Arcee assured, gently putting a hand on te younger femme’s shoulder. “Go get some rest now, I’ll keep these two under watch and report in if anything changes.” 

“Thank you Arcee.” 

~@~@~@~@~@~

The route was, thank Primus and all that was grand, quiet and calm and Night Blight saw the ever so subtle shifts in her sister’s armour to show she was relaxing, even if it was only slightly, she smiled to herself and pulled up along side the sports car. “Wanna talk about it?”

] No. [  
] There is nothing to talk about, what should we talk about something, there is nothing wrong, nothing at all- [  
] She is our sister, she knows us better then anyone else. [

Blitz Racer sighed. “Its not so bad, really, its just, worrying me that we haven’t gotten a single note or message from her.” 

“CT’s a big girl. She can handle the cons.” Blight said.

“We-” she stopped and shook her systems. “I know that sis, but Comet Trail’s just one bot, and that ships not full of just random cons, that’s Megatron and his personal troops, the elite of his rank and soon the DJD will be here, CT’s never faced anything like that.”

“She faced Galvatron and Overlord.” 

Blitz Racer slammed on her breaks. “What do you know about that?!” she demanded in anger and then panicked and asked. “Does Ratchet know?”

“I fixed her both times, Blitz.” Night Blight reminded slowing to a stop, as her sister’s other personalities broke though. “I know the injuries she had came from Overlord’s guns, he wanted to toy with her so he shot to graze her legs, and when she came in with injuries from a forced attempt a link up and Galvatron’s oil all over her, it wasn’t hard to guess what she’d done. She never told me anything and she has never asked me if I know, so out of respect I said nothing. No one but you and me know what she did that night, and while Elita may suspect it, she doesn’t know the whole truth.”

] Could it be? Could she had told someone else and not told us? [  
] No, Blight would never betray Comet Trail or me like that, it’s a personal attack on us both if she does and she’d never hurt us that way. Night Blight would never tell anyone what she knows. [  
] Does Comet Trail know Night Blight knows? Have they talked? [  
] It is not our place to pry into Comet Trail’s personal life if she isn’t here. [

Blitz Racer gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry Night. I shouldn’t snap at you.”

“Your tense because of the syndrome and the tri personalities, I know you didn’t mean it.” Night Blight assured, “But don’t forget, Comet Trail has the same case as you, worse even because of her reformat and she’s handled the stresses of her frame longer then you have. She’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right Blight. I really hope you’re right.” The racer sighed then froze as a jammer field passed over them and the deep growl of an engine roared into live behind them. “Floor it!!”

Night Blight did as she was told and gasped as the ground where they had been was shattered by incoming fire and a rusted mech flew low, cackling as he chase them.

Turmoil had found them.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“We have a signal.” One of his officers stated calmly. “Three. Two Autobots and one on our target.”

“Lock onto the target.” He ordered smoothly. “We do not harm the Autobots, they will be returned to Prime as soon as we are sure they are uninfected.”

“Yes sir.” The first officer affirmed then said. “We have visual feed coming in live.”

He turned his gaze to the screen, watching the two Autobots race away from the Target. The faster model deliberately staying behind the slower one, acting as a shield from the shots the target was firing on them.

“Vos.”

“I am unable.” Vos responded. “He is protected by shield.”

“Your orders sir?” 

He paused and thought carefully. Vos’s shots would be best but the shielding would need to be removed first, that would take time-

The target got a shot on the slower model and they skidded into a wall while the faster model changed forms and draw her blades, snarling at the target in a savage rage.

“She got some glitch?” his officer asked. “She has purple optics.”

“Nah, tri personality.” Another stated. “That’s Blitz Racer the other one is Night Blight, sisters who live with Prime as Adopted bitlets. The target just fragged himself by hurting Night Blight, a registered Junior Medic.”

He was silent watching the target and Blitz racer tear into each other, the femme was savage and doing all in her power to keep the bigger mech away from her downed sibling, ignoring injuries that should have brought her down to keep the target at bay.

He stood from his seat after watching the target tear one of Blitz Racer’s arms from its joint. “I will handle this.” 

His officers saluted and he marched from the command room to the air lock, stepping into the chamber he locked onto their coordinates and then opened the airlock and stepped out of the ship, letting the planet’s gravity do its job on his huge form while he aimed his cannon at the Target.

The target’s shield held, but the desired effect was made, and the target turned tailpipe and raced away. 

Blitz Racer turned on him, sparks flying from her injuries and her optics a deep burning red. It took her a moment to realize who he was but when she did she stood between him and her still unmoving sister, broken blade at the ready. She would die protecting her sibling, he could see the mantra she was repeating to herself over and over again as easily as he could hear the struggling systems in her body fighting to keep her standing.

Protect her. No matter what or who comes at you. Protect her. No one gets to my sister. No one. She lives, even if I die, she lives. No one gets to my sister. I will die for her.

“You are in no shape to fight me Autobot.” He told her making sure to keep his voice even and calm so as not to accidently trigger the femme. “I am not here for you or for her.” He added and slowly opened his commlink. “Optimus Prime, you have two injured Autobots at my location. One in dire need of a medic.”

The bridge opened instantly and he remained still as the Lady stepped out with her son and the old Medical Chief.

“Blitz Racer stand down.” Elita one ordered firmly and Blitz Racer turned on her Lady with a deep snarl until she saw Hot Rod knelt by Blight’s side, his weapon not aimed at The DJD leader but at her. 

“My sister!” she hissed in fury.

Hot Rod shook his helm. “Until you calm down, you are not coming near her.” He said. “Stand down as our Lady has ordered or you will be brought down.” He added taking the safety off the weapon he held.

Blitz Racer looked between her downed sister and then Hot Rod and then to Ratchet and Elita-one. then looked for someone else, someone who should be there, should have been there from the start but wasn’t.

“Com-Comet?” she asked. “Where is Comet?”

“Four days.” Elita one assured. “Four days and she will be traded for Rumble and Frenzy.”

“Four days…” Blitz Racer repeated. “Four… four days…”

The world went black.

] NO! GET UP YOU STUPID GIRL! PROTECT BLIGHT! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS WE MUST PROTECT HER! GET UP!!!!! [ The first voice raged and screamed and bellowed, fighting against the darkness that held them trapped. 

] We don’t have to worry. [ The third voice was calm, timid and gentle. ] Hot Rod will protect her, Ratchet will fix us and we can calm down. Comet Trail will be back soon. Everything will be ok. [

} Its OUR job to protect Blight! No one else can! We must get back up! They’ll hurt her! [ the second voice panicked.

] No one will hurt Blight. [ The calm voice assured. ] Prime won’t let anyone hurt her. He promised us and he never breaks his promises. [

The other two voices were silenced. Optimus understood them, Optimus was their adopted sire by rights, Optimus would protect Night Blight now she couldn’t. No one could beat Optimus Prime. No one.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Comet Trail wasn’t moving as much as she use to. 

Soundwave had thought it was because she had limited room, but then he’d woke to hear her cracking and popping her joints when she thought he was in deep sleep, her frame giving strained and clearly painful hisses and clicks as she moved in the confined space of her cell.

He heard Ravage asking why she didn’t just ask to do that when she was between going to the medical bay and back and the Autobot chuckled. 

“Even if I did this every day, it wouldn’t stop my joints locking up. Shield Syndrome frags the frame and the processor.”

Shield Syndrome, a state only a rare few Combiner heads, females, creators like himself and seekers were known to fall victim too but for the Autobot to be so far along in her syndrome from lack of movement would mean that she was at least a level six if not seven on the scale.

He would have to speak with Knockout about a means to ease her systems locking up or he’d risk the wrath of the Autobots for ill care of their Scout/Sniper, and so he typed a message to the red mech and waited for him to arrive. Not even half a human hour later, after having likely dealt with the aftermath of Motormaster’s latest temper tantrum at the cease fire Knockout walked through the door, looking ever so slightly dulled from his time fixing Motormaster’s mess but a smile fell easily onto his face at the sight of the Autobot femme.

“Check up time again?” she asked. “You’re making Ratchet seem laxed.” 

“Autobot.” “Systems locking up.” “Armour restricting stretch and reach.” “Shield Syndrome.” “Joint relief required.” Soundwave explained briefly and pointedly while Comet Trail shot a look to Ravage who shook her helm. “Heard your.” “Joints.” “Popping and cracking.” “Last night.” 

The sniper blinked. “Frag, I thought you were in deeper sleep.” 

“Soundwave.” “Lightest sleeper.” The femme gave him a pointed look as he used the human children’s voices to respond, then continued using Megatron’s voice. “Do what you must. Then bring the prisoner back to her cell.”

“Of course.” Knockout nodded. “and her escort?”

“Unnecessary.” Starscream’s voice answered. “Laws of cease fire.” “Dictate no escort.” “Needed.” “Unless subject proves.” “Difficult.”

“I’ll behave as long as the bug bitch and the Optimus want to be stay out of my way.” Comet Trail reminded. 

Soundwave nodded and left the lab, Ravage and Ratbat following after him while Knockout lead the way to the medical bay, sealing and locking the doors to keep Motormaster and Airachnid out. 

“No one outside can hear what is said now, and no one will come in without my authorization. Not even Megatron.” The red mech assured.

“That’s a comfort.” She huffed lightly.

“What level of Shield Syndrome do you suffer?” Knockout questioned.

“I point you to Night Blight and the Son of Prime and then at the system programming in me that comes from my Sire and Carrier to protect those I care for, add in the huge chunk of fact that we are at war and have been for years on end, sprinkle in a dash of poor medical care when I wasn’t stationed with the Lady and mix well before putting it on a max seven and cook for a few centuries and serve hot.” Comet Trail said, rolling her shoulders with an obvious ‘pop’ on the left side. “Blitz and me usual beat the stress out of ourselves in the ring when we get locked joints and strains but given our current situation, I don’t get that option.”

“How long ago was the last sparring match?” Knockout asked, leading her to the privacy of a smaller room in the bay, locking and sound proofing that room and also fogging the glass up to give them complete privacy as he uncuffed her and patted the berth lightly. “Up on the berth please. Level seven is not to be ignored for too long.” He added having caught her answer in the banter she’d used.

“About six months ago. Usually we can go eight months but the stress and separation from them triggered an early onset, Blitz is likely having just a bad a time as me, but at least she has Blight to help her with a nonviolent option.” Comet Trail explained and settled on the berth. “And yes, that was just after Blight had a brief stint here when I jumped off the back of the ship with her.”

“Rather bold of you to do, knowing that most of our forces are flight gifted.” Knockout said with a light smirk. “Starscream has been asking if you are part seeker.”

“As Blaster keeps telling me, I have an unusually high drive for trills and daring stunts that neither of my parents had.” Comet Trail admitted, “I’d have jumped after any of my friends. And no, I have no Seeker coding.”

“Not Prime or the Lady?” Knockout asked, using a handheld scanner to check her frame and armour. “Connection ports for medical link ups are-” he paused. “Not where they should be.” He said.

“Tops of my shoulders, under the frame tight mesh-armour on my lower legs and central port over my forehelm.” She told him.

He blinked and then after a rescan he found the ports where she’d said it would be, after carefully checking the area he found it was a universal link rather than a mass of six miniature ports clustered together as others had on their arms, chest and sides. “Your frame was so badly damaged your connection ports for medical links were moved?” he asked.

“Galvatron was not known for his tender hands.” She reminded, “the old ports had to be removed and I had mesh graphs to cover the openings they left in my sides and arms while Ratchet put the universal one in my shoulder.”

“The reformat was your entire frame?” Knockout asked after a moment.

“If the first one had worked like it was meant to, I would be in the same frame type as Arcee.” Comet Trail said. “The reformat was meant to stop Galvatron recognizing me after I joined up with Elita-one’s unit after my Carrier and I left Cybertron. It failed but instead of letting him win and hiding, I asked the medics to make me into a higher tower frame and give me a base frame like my sires for the strength it would give me under fire and the shape of the high Towers like my Carrier had, the spec ops mechs my carrier worked with helped pay for it, but as everyone knows, reformats leave scars if they are preformed within six decas of each other.” 

Knockout looked at the scars that crisscrossed and streaked her frame beneath her armour, a sign of the reformat was done by a well-trained team but the work had been done over newly healed and still healing protoformed mesh, leaving the scars clear and obvious rather than faint and mostly hidden. “How long did your first reformat last?”

“Two decacycles.” Comet Trail said then caught his optic. “Still considering courtship now you know what’s under the armour?”

“Scars have never been an issue for me.” He smiled, “I have my fair few of my own, so it would be hypocritical of me to judge you for yours.” He added and began typing at a side terminal, bringing up a frame stimulation program that Soundwave had designed to aid with higher levels of the Syndrome. “Is that something that you thought I would be scared away by?” He asked attaching the link to Comet Trail’s shoulders.

“I’m just making sure you know what you’re getting into.” A partial lie, but if he caught it he didn’t let on. “I know what I look like under this armour and the tight fit mesh and more then one mech has backed off when he’s seen what’s really under the armour. Outside of finding a nice little place to grow some crystals when the war is over, I hadn’t really thought about anything beyond getting through the war.”

“I doubt many would have considered it. Given how long we’ve been fighting.” Knockout nodded, attaching the next links into Comet Trail’s lower legs. “But I have no wish to pressure you into making a choice, take as long as you need and when you have made your choice, whatever it may be,” he slipped a small data slug into her palm. “You’ll know how to reach me.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Rumble looked up as the bridge opened and Hot Rod carried Night Blight into the room, carefully setting her down on the berth while Elita-one carried Blitz Racer in after him, then Ratchet came in and began his work on Blitz Racer without a word to them.

“What happened?”

“Turmoil found them.” Hot Rod said as he covered Night Blight with a sheet, Elita-one seamlessly followed Ratchet’s orders as the other mech worked on Blitz Racer, Rumble blinked then shuddered as he realized just how badly the speeder had been damaged. 

“Did you get him?” Frenzy asked.

“The target fled, but he will be found soon enough.” A deceptively gentle voice stated and Rumble felt his whole frame tremble at the words, slowly turning to see a huge mech, taller even then Overlord had been and a mask designed to look like the Decepticon brand hiding the real face of the mech from others as he gazed out from behind the mask he wore proudly.

“Tarn.” Rumble greeted. “Um… you are aware of the trade deal, right?”

“Yes, I have been made aware of the trade.” Tarn said with a short nod. “However, the laws state I am unable to leave this Base until I have scanned everyone and have been given a full debriefing on what this virus can do, should The Target attempt to use it on Kaon’s Pet.” 

Ah, that explained why Tarn was here and why the air was filled with static, he was using old school techniques to find any sign of the virus.

“Are all of you here?” Rumble asked.

“Myself, Kaon and Pet are here, Vos is reporting in with Megatron.” Tarn explained, “Helex and Tesarus are hunting another target high up on the list. One who needs a trial rather than out right death.” He added. 

The twins did not want to know who that unfortunate spark was.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Vos was, compared to many Decepticons, frail looking. His frame was narrow, his armour was tightly fitted, and his optics were deep set, he only stood as tall as Starscream’s hip, and he walked silently.

Starscream had to resist the urge lift the smaller con up and carry him, not that Vos would mind the attention but the mech before the Seeker was no child, he was as deadly a weapon as the cannon on Megatron’s arm. Vos was one of the best assassins the DJD had ever been able to recruit, and while the mech was not able to speak in perfect common Cybertronian as the vast majority of the Transformers could, he did speak fluent Ancient Cybertronian.

A language Starscream admitted, was refreshing to hear as the tiny mech and Megatron spoke it, Soundwave recording and saving the rare exchange for future reference and verification.

} “Turmoil is your only target here, I do not care how you find him, or how you end him, for all our sakes I ask only that it is done away from the humans who inhabit their earth and that you leave no trace of Turmoil behind.”

“Aye Lord. Now, about the femme being held for trade of the twin spies, Rumble and Frenzy.”

“The femme we have is in Soundwave’s care and currently she is being checked over by our medic.” 

“That may be, my lord, but Tarn insists on her being made aware that Turmoil has attacked and injured two of her teammates, a safeguard to avoid any misplaced blame.” {

Megatron gave a deep growl, but the reasoning was sound.

“Soundwave will escort you to the medical bay.” He dismissed.

Vos nodded and followed Soundwave as the silent mech moved from the bridge of the ship towards the medical bay. 

Motormaster backed away as Vos passed him. Breakdown gave a polite dip of the helm. Airachnid was nowhere to be found and the Insecticons questioned the fear of the Decepticon foot soldiers as Vos passed them, only to pale and back away as the stories spread like wildfire.

Comet Trail was laid on the berth, trading wax tips with Knockout when they entered the medical bay, her body slowly being scanned by the terminal and rather than showing fear as most would express when they saw Vos, Comet Trail smirked wickedly. 

“Long shot fragger.” She greeted. “You owe me a duel.”

“Not here.” Vos said brokenly, though his tone held a familiar smirk of his own. “You have trouble?”

“When you sit still for too long you get lock joints and system lags, more so in Snipers like you and I then any other frame.” She stated so as not to let Vos know she had any other issue, “I’d offer you a handshake, but the scans get funny if you have contact with someone during them.”

“Fortunate for me.” Vos said, “Have news from Tarn.”

“What does he have to say to me?” Comet Trail asked, “Because if he’s pissy about what I did to Overlord, he can take a number and join the que.”

“Overlord later.” Vos assured. “Your friends. Femmes. Sisters.” 

“Blitz Racer and Night Blight?” Comet Trail asked, the mood suddenly changing, and Soundwave saw the flicker of tension and worry that passed over her frame before training set in. “What’s happened?”

“Target got lucky.” Vos said, “Blitz Racer was hurt. Medical attention given by Ratchet. Night Blight unconscious.”

“What the frag did that bitlet killer hit her with?” Comet Trail asked.

Vos pulled a small disk from his subspace and projected and images of a large cannon like gun with many smaller attachments. “Modified compactor beam cannon.”

“I’ve seen that weapon type before.” Comet Trail said, “But Turmoil isn’t the right frame to use that. He’d shatter himself without a reformat.”

“Target reformed partly on arm and chest.” Vos explained, “poor work, but stable enough.” 

“Blitz Racer?” Comet Trail asked.

Vos paused and thought carefully before shaking his helm. “Not good. Seemed Feral.”

“How long until the trade?” She asked of Soundwave who gave a few seconds of silence before his face mask lit up with a clock and day count just as they rest with a new date and time.

Three days.

“Tell Tarn he’s on grace time until I get back to the bots, then he better have Turmoil found and dead or I’ll take the kill shot myself.”

“Prime and his Lady not be pleased.” Vos remarked.

“Prime and Elita-one can’t stop me.” Comet Trail stated. “No one messes with my sisters and gets off light.”

“Tarn and the DJD is getting off light?” Breakdown asked as he came by the door with several heavy crates.

“Tarn talks too much.”

“Alright enough of this talk.” Knockout said tapping his terminal, “This is not good for the scan results, if you are not doing your job as my assistant, hurt or dying, out of my bay. Shoo!”

Vos gave a small nod and left the bay, Soundwave following silently behind while Breakdown got on with his task of sorting and putting away the medical supplies and equipment as the door to the privet room closed again.

Knockout was quiet for a moment or two, making sure the sound proofing was in place before he asked quietly. “Are you sure you aren’t a higher level?”

“Rung says I’m on the boarder line of Seven and advance.” She admitted with a low huff, “I’ve only slipped into the Advanced stages twice, both times I was pushed there by events around me rather then instantly snapping into it like others do. The less stressful my surroundings, the closer to level Seven I am.”

“You’ve been tested that far?” Knockout asked.

“My Sire and Carrier were not actively violent nor did they have ‘issues with authority’ as the aft head commander I had to deal with in training said, after my second reformat Chromia and Firestar had me sent in for therapy to try and get the truth out of me, instead it made things worse until Rung took on the case. That’s how me and Blitz Racer found out we were both suffering the same thing.”

“Rung? He’s the tall mech with the optical aids, orange and white paint job with a hint of gold around the chest, knows more about the processor, system flows and mental workings of a mech then most medics and surgeons, with a profession in model making, correct?” Knockout asked.

“That’s him.” Comet Trail nodded.

Knockout nodded, “Odd one as I recall, more of a talker then a fighter, but far better at his job then most gave him credit for. Couldn’t he give you something help? Sedative pills or Mood chips?”

“Sedatives and mood chips mess up our sensory grids and made Blitz hyper paranoid. After a trial run on meds Elita took us off them.” 

“How badly were you affected?”

“I couldn’t stand up by the end of the trial, my optics were fuzzed and my processer was slowed by point six.” Knockout stopped and looked at her shocked. A processor slow that high might not sound bad, but in the case of Snipers it could mean fatal mistakes were made. “Blitz Racer was slowed by point seven. Couldn’t leave her room for fear she’d be put in the ward for instability, took us six days to get the stuff out of our systems completely even with the defrag and purge coding Ratchet and Rung ran on us.”

“And neither of you were permanently damaged by that?” Knockout asked, looking over the medical file he was getting to see no lingering effects of such a drastic event.

“We used advanced purge, so it was more like waking up from a deep sleep then a system flush.” Comet Trail smiled. “We’re two of the strangest cases Rung had, but it wasn’t so bad, he had an endless stash of energon goodies to share and he let us do pair sessions so we could do puzzles when we were on forced down time.”

“You like Puzzles?”

“I like anything that means I have to sit down and focus on it for longer then ten seconds.” She admitted. “I used to play Conquest with Jazz and Prowl before Cybertron went dark, and when I go back to base I’ll likely end up playing Battle Board and Conquest with Ironhide. I have a title to maintain.”

“Oh? Are you higher levelled then them in the game?” he asked as the terminal flashed up with the results of her scan.

“Prima Rank.” She admitted proudly. “only Prime has a better rank, but we never have time for a real game.”

Knockout smiled, “I would suggest a round, but I doubt Soundwave and Starscream would let me live down losing my own Prima Rank to you.”

Comet Trail smirked. “Maybe one day we can have a match and settle who is the better Prima.”

“I would like that.” Knockout nodded, “Now, your results are clear, your systems should be able to last a few months longer before you and your friend have to beat each other to scrap again.” he said and disconnected the cables from her body. “Ready to go back to your cell?”

“It was fun while it lasted.” She huffed lightly but did not complain as he replaced the cuffs and then lead her back to Soundwave’s lab where she settled back into her cell without a fuss.

And then swiftly texted a message to Soundwave.

} Soundwave,  
I will be sending you a complete report in one human hour but in my honest medical opinion, the Autobot femme is as stable as she can be for now, however it would be unwise to let her remain in the cell with nothing to do, I suggest something to keep her occupied mentally or physically until the trade is done in three days’ time. She suffers from an advance case of Shield Syndrome and the inactivity of being in the cell in your lab is not the best way to prevent violence from her in the future.  
Also I request that you make extra sure Motormaster and Airachnid do not get near your lab, we both know they will try and pester the femme about the injuries her comrades have sustained and while I have managed to ease the tension from her systems, if either of them get close to her, even at a distance she will likely become tense again rapidly and I do not think the cell in the lab will hold her back if she truly goes for them.  
Third and finally, she is begining to run low on energy, I recommend giving her Mid-grade from here on until the trade.  
Knockout. {

He sighed softly after returning to the bay to compile his report, fully aware that there was a feline shadow at his heels as he began his work, humming to himself as he typed.

Subject; Autobot Femme Assassin Comet Trail.  
Status; Alive.  
Reason for check up; Requested by TIC Soundwave.  
Results of test;  
Shield Syndrome level 7. Boarder line advance level. High tension. Low release protocol. Minute Mood glitch calm to violent and violent to basic survival instinct.

Additional Notes;   
Comet Trail suffers from a boarder line advance level of Shield Syndrome, to the point where she is physically and mentally affected by stressful events and trauma to her body and those around her, there have been few signs of this until Soundwave mentioned her inability to move as well as she had before. Scans of the frame type and energy flow show Comet Trail is aware of her condition and has taken steps to minimize the effects on her everyday life. 

In conversation Comet Trail explained that she has tried medical aids but the results have been displeasing and while not common, she and the Autobot Blitz Racer aid one another with the tension of the syndrome and have thus far both had satisfying results despite the pains they cause one another. While her Syndrome is of a higher/advanced level then previous cases I have studied, I recommend that she be kept active so as not to become tense with worry due to the recent news given about the injuries to her teammates.

Reading over his work Knockout nodded and after saving a copy to his privet data pad for any future need, he prepared the file for transfer to Soundwave and sent it off before turning his attention to the work he had left to do.


	14. 13 and 14

13

] Wake up. [  
] We have to heal first. [  
] We are healed enough! Get up! We must make sure our sister is safe! [

“Calm your aft down.” 

] Blight? [

“You aren’t healed. Stay asleep and let us work.” 

] But you were hurt! Turmoil hurt you! [

“I’m harder to kill then your paranoid side thinks. Now calm down and let us work. You’ll wake up when I say you can wake up and not before. Medical order.”

Blitz Racer smiled inside herself and nodded, feeling the two other personalities slowly sink back into their places as her body regained sensation. Her legs were sore, her arms were numb and heavy, her helm was resting on something soft bracing it while someone very gently worked on her processor, likely that was Night Blight and she had used a processor link to make sure she didn’t accidently ruin the hard work that had been done to keep her personalities separate and avoid a mental break down.

] How are things? [

“So far so good, Tarn left to hunt Turmoil while the twins are helping me care for you. Frenzy’s monitoring your spark while Rumble makes sure your cycling air properly. Prime’s here. We have two and a half days before the trade.” 

That explained the tiny hands Blitz could feel gently touching her neck, and the weighted warm pressure at her chest. 

] Is he mad at us? [  
] He has to be, we completely lost it. [

“He isn’t mad at you. and he never will be, you know better then to think he would blame you for being the way you are when he was raised by Alpha Trion. And when you saw how good he was with that Neutral we met with the same tri-personalities you have. Remember?”

She did, a young mech with violent mood swings between savagely angry, calm and collective and fearfully paranoid. He hadn’t been able to get the needed care for his personalities and they had all manifested to make him so unstable he had been on his way to the smelter when Optimus had found him and while he had never been completely sane after that, he had become a functioning member of a small team who surveyed areas for colonies. 

] So, he’s not mad at us? [

“He could never be mad at you for doing what you always do. Now hush up and let us work. Soon we’ll be finished and you can wake up.”

] Yes baby sister. [

Two and a half days and Comet Trail would be back. The unit would whole, and all would be well again.

Two and a half days.

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~  
# 14

“Will she be ok now?” Frenzy asked as Night Blight gently pulled a sheet over Blitz Racer’s frame.

“She’ll be fine.” The medic assured, “You both helped make sure of that, now let’s see how that anti-virus is doing with your systems.” She added and prepared the scanner while Frenzy and Rumble sat up and waited for her.

As expected, Rumble was fine, and thankfully, Frenzy had improved well and was almost completely cured of the virus. “One more defrag with the anti-virus and you should be safe to go back to Soundwave.” She assured, and carefully set about attaching the wires to Frenzy’s frame as the young twin settle down to sleep.

“Can I ask you about something?” Rumble asked as he sat up beside Frenzy.

“What’s on your mind?” Night Blight asked.

“Is she a triple changer?” he asked looking to Blitz Racer. “She has three personalities, her file says that much, but I’ve only seen her take two forms.” He added.

Night Blight shook her helm. “No, she’s not a triple changer, the extra change would have put too much strain on her body when we were younger. But the idea was put forwards when we were younger that she could handle a third frame when she was older, we haven’t had the time or chance to think about upgrading her frame to make it possible.”

“Is that why her optics were different before?” 

Night Blight paused and then shook her helm. “No, that’s a side effect of her Personalities getting overwhelming. Normally Comet Trail is here to help keep her in a stable state of mind, but with her gone, no one can really help Blitz cool off without the use of medical aids, but that’s a last resort.”

“Comet Trail is the other femme in that picture on your desk, right?” Rumble asked pointing to the image in question and Night Blight smiled nodding. “Soundwave won’t hurt her.”

“It’s not Soundwave I’m worried about.” Night Blight admitted. “Motormaster and Airachnid always seem to target her when they are on battle fields, and while I have no doubt Soundwave will keep her out of trouble, he can’t watch her all the time. and while your medic is good. I doubt he’ll get close enough to dart Comet Trail if she does go off on either of those two.” 

“You think she would?”

“The DJD told her Blitz and me were hurt by Turmoil. By now, Comet Trail’s likely already building up for a blow up.” Night Blight explained, “one wrong move and wrong word and the con ship will be a wreck and that’s if your lucky.” 

“She’d do that?”

Night Blight nodded. “A femme will fight with everything she has to get out of danger and protect those she cares for. Blitz Racer and Comet Trail are the literal proof of that.”

“Wow.” Rumble said.

“Night Blight.”

The young medic looked up to see Optimus stood in the doorway a grim look on his face as he looked to the twins. “The trade has been moved up. It happens in one hour. You and Hot Rod will join me and Elita-one.”

“Yes sir.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Comet Trail watched the weather forecast carefully, she was still cuffed but since the trade was only an hour away, Soundwave had let her leave the cell and instead she was able to sit and stretch out on a chair and inspect her weapons now that she was going home. Ravage and Ratbat were being carefully and dutifully waxed and buffed by Breakdown to look their best while Knockout gave her one last scan just to be sure she was in good health.

“All greens and clear, though you already knew that.” The red mech said.

“Thanks Doc.” She nodded, “So who’s going to be at the trade?”

“Megatron, myself, Soundwave and the little ones.” Knockout stated.

“If scrap hits the fan, I hope Megatron knows I’m snapping these cuffs.” She said.

“You believe it will?” Breakdown asked.

“You’re taking little ones to a trade while a known bitlet killer is lose.” Comet Trail said, “The only reason I haven’t smacked the fragger is because I have cuffs on and can’t reach that high without a running start,” She looked at Soundwave who had paused his work. “Sadly, that’s not gonna happen while Soundwave isn’t within Ground Bridge radius. Unless Megatron pisses him off too then I might get a chance at it if Blitz don’t beat me too it.”

“Are you always so casual about threating violence to the leader of your enemy fraction?”

“Are you always so swift to label someone your enemy just because they wear a brand?” Comet Trail asked back and Breakdown paused, blinking in confusion. “Peace though Tyranny has its points good and bad, but when you cross the line and become a Tyrant who seeks only power even after the world you claim you wish to change is already dead, the lessons are void and lost until the proof of your labour is seen. So far, all Tyranny has brought Cybertron is death, widespread ruin and a slag tone of nothing. We had Peace after the Senate of Twelve was defeated but allowing the old and bitter to take over as Councillors was a mistake. Both sides made that mistake, not just the Autobots. This war is just baggage and unresolved issues that no one bothered to address when the Senate was defeated.”

“And how would you” “have changed it?” Soundwave asked using a recording of Starscream and Knockout’s voices as Megatron stood outside the door.

“Freeze everything in the account books, lock the weapons in the box at the door, and have the people chose a representative from each class, race and fractions to speak for them and as civil mechs and femmes talk about the issues, fears and compromises each is willing to make with the others, talk out the problems that can be talked off, draw the lines and move one when possible and if someone wants to a picky and keep fighting, lock ‘em in the storage room and let them frag each other senseless for a few hours. If they can’t work it out after that both groups agree to disagree, shake hands and move on.” Comet Trail said, “Worked out for the Fliers and Grounders in Maxicron and still holds, worked for the Vosian classes and still holds, and it worked for the tunnel dweller and that still holds, so you can’t convince me it wouldn’t have worked for Bots and Cons after the Senate War.” 

“How much of the Senate war do you even know about?” Ravage asked.

“All of it.” Comet Trail said and tapped the visor over her eyes. “Spec Ops lesson 1, know your history, lesson 2, study past defeats and failings to avoid repeating them in the future, lesson 3, when study is not possible, hack the nearest terminal and download everything. I hacked Teletran Alpha and Beta to get the whole story.”

Ravage blinked twice. “How did you get past Red Alert?”

“Me to know you to keep guessing.” And with that Comet Trail pointed at the weather forecast. “Hope your wax is waterproof.” There was a storm building over the area they were going to hold the trade.

~@~@~@~@~@~

] Something’s wrong. [  
] I know that. But blight said it was safe to sleep. [  
] Blight can tell lies if she doesn’t know the truth. [  
] She wouldn’t lie to us. And neither would Prime or Elita. [  
] Something is wrong. [  
] We’re getting up. [  
] But Blight- [  
] We are getting up. [

Blitz Racer opened her optics and sat up with a low grunt, holding her stomach as her body struggled to keep up with her personalities demands.

She looked around, no sign of Night Blight, Frenzy or Rumble.

Her optics turned red.

Nothing excused this, Nothing pardoned this. Prime and Elita would hear no end of it from her. And she would not be stopped.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Comet Trail knew the storm wasn’t natural the minute she stepped outside the ship and let Knockout lead her to the muddy ground off the gang plank he felt her frame tense up under his hand as they waited, the sky dancing with lightning and thunder.

The trade was bait to lure Turmoil out so Tarn could take a shot at him.

“Did you know about this?” She asked him, her lips not moving as she projected her voice.

“No.” he said also keeping his lips still. “I would never have agreed if I had known.”

“That is why you were not informed.” Megatron said. “It must look real.”

Comet Trail levelled a glare at Megatron. “You’re a dead mech if they get hurt. That’s a promise.” 

“Get in line.” A deep voice stated coldly, and it took a moment to realize that voice was Soundwave’s real voice.

A ground bridge opened up ahead of them, Prime stepped out first, then Hot Rod, then Night Blight with Rumble and Frenzy at her sides and Elita-one at the rear.

“Lovely weather for it.” Ravage heard Hot Rod say.

“Hush.” Prime lightly scalded and the young scout fell silent. “Remove the restraints and we shall send them over at the same time Megatron.”

“Agreed.” Megatron gave Knockout a nod and the medic removed Comet Trail’s cuffs. “We would not want any tension after all.” 

“Keep talking tin for teeth and I’ll safe Starscream the job and stabbing you in the back.” Comet Trail hissed lowly.

“Walk.” Megatron ordered.

She made sure the puddle she stepped in splashed him as she passed, just to be petty then turned her glare on Prime. Oh he was not getting off easy either. He had to have known this was a trap for Turmoil and if anything, ANYTHING happened to any bitlet, Con or Bot, neither leader was going to hear the end of it for a very long time. She watched Rumble and Frenzy match her steps with their own, Rumble keeping himself one step ahead of Frenzy, added guard just in case Turmoil got close, she caught his optics and gave him a slow, clear wink.

Just as they crossed paths, she fell to her knees, grabbed both twins in her arms and activated her cloaker as the huge form of Turmoil slammed in the ground where they would have been. The shot from Tarn bounced off the shield and skimmed the air besides her helm as a second ground bridge opened inches behind Comet Trail and Turmoil realized his mistake. 

Soundwave stopped Megatron moving with one strike of his whisker, Knockout stepped back to avoid the fight while Vos and Tarn landed in front of Comet Trail only to stagger back as she put her knife to Tarn’s neck and forced them both to back off as raw energon splattered the ground around them. 

Frenzy saw Ravage creep closer to them, her eyes held ordered for them both to stay the frag where they were and not look, and Frenzy had no desire to disobey. He felt Comet Trail move them, and heard the massive form fall to the ground behind her as she lifted them up and took one step away from the violence to try and spare them getting nightmares from what was happening behind her.

The scrape of blunt fingers tearing the frame apart, the scream of systems struggling to finish cycles that no longer connected to the vital parts of the body, the whine of a shattered pump trying to fuel the body with nothing but air, it was like reliving her own first kill. 

Though she had been silent, Blitz Racer was snarling out the promise that she would send this fragger to the pit in so many parts and shard that no one would know how to put him back together.

“That’s enough Blitz.” She said firmly after the sounds form Turmoil stopped.

“He-”

“I said enough.” Comet Trail warned in a tone so low, so commanding that the twins had to doubt check the brand on her arm was the boxy face of the Autobots and not the sharp face of the Decepticons. “The bitlets are safe, you saw to that. Leave the rest to the DJD to clean up. Now say goodbye and let’s go tear into the Boss bots for this slag show of a frag up.”

“They’re… Safe?” Blitz Racer’s tone had changed. The anger was gone and was replaced by concern.

“Right here, in my arms,” Comet Trail assured, “Now say goodbye.”

“Bye boys.” Blitz Racer said after a moment.

“Bye Blitz Racer.” Rumble bid.

“Thank you.” Frenzy added and Comet Trail nodded kneeling down so both bitlets could walk the rest of the way to their comrades on their own two feet.

“That was-” 

*SMACK*

Tarn’s neck whirled and sparked as his head jerked to the side form the force of the slam he’s just received, his body falling to the floor with the sudden force of a heeled ped crushing his chest.

“Blitz Racer!” Prime yelled only to stop as Night Blight grabbed his wrist. Comet Trail’s knife now to Vos’s throat to stop him trying to hurt Blitz Racer.

“If you EVER put the lives of bitlets in danger again. I will cut you open from your tank to your processor, use your body as a tool box, turn your insides into fodder for cyber fish, grind your legs into shaving dust and mount your head on a spike outside the Senate grave yard!” Blitz Racer threatened Tarn.

Tarn said nothing, watching the femme’s optics flicker between colours until Comet Trail put a hand to her shoulder and they settled on blue. 

“You get one warning. Then you’re fragged.” The Assassin stated. “You’ve been warned.” 

“Kup, Ground Bridge us out of here. Now.” Hot Rod stated over the comm as Comet Trail pulled Blitz Racer away from the DJD Leader. 

And with one last heated glare at Megatron, the Autobots were gone.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Blitz Racer didn’t give Optimus chance to speak.

The moment they set foot in Outpost Omega one, she turned on him and jabbed a sharp finger to his chest. “What the frag in thirteen were you thinking?! Don’t answer that, clearly you weren’t! Bitlets Prime! Fragging Bitlets as bait for that glitch of a slagger after what he did to Ramhorn and the boys?! HOW could you ever think that using them as bait was EVER gonna be ok?!” She demanded. “And you! You let him do this!? What the actually fragging slag Elita!”

“Blitz-”

“No Blight. You don’t get to defend them for this! No one and nothing gives anyone the right to put bitlets in danger the way they did!” Comet Trail stated. “What the frag would you have done if I hadn’t grabbed then up when I had? If Turmoil had been a second faster he’d have killed them both!”

“It was a calculated risk.” Ratchet said and suddenly found both Blitz Racer and Comet Trail glaring down at him.

Wrong thing to say.

“Nothing. Not one damn thing about that trade was calculated. Tarn’s shout bounced off a max-grade shielding dome and did nothing to slow Turmoil down.” Blitz Racer snarled. “If we hadn’t been there two more bitlets would be on his kill count!”

“Decepticon Bitlets.” Arcee stated only to skid across the room and dent the wall behind her. Blitz Racer’s optics were red again and the anger coming off her made Night Blight step back and hide behind Hot Rod.

“You want to repeat that statement?” Comet Trail asked lowly, her own rage making her armour tighten so much the scars beneath were starting to show through.

Arcee said nothing, and after a tense few minutes, Kup cleared his throat. “Comet Trail, Blitz Racer, go wash up. Hot Rod, Night Blight, go make sure your room is ready for them when they are done. We’ll talk about this frag up after you two have settled down.” He instructed and when Comet Trail turned her glare on him, he held it silently.

Eventually Comet Trail backed down and pulled Blitz Racer out of the room with her.

“Well, I hope you are ready to handle what comes next.” Kup said with a puff of his cy-gar. “Because those two are not going to forgive this easily.”

“Why? They are Decepticons and have been since birth.” Arcee winced. “They are our enemies.”

“I’m sure Airachnid will remember that when you have a bitlet of your own and use it in her trial to get off on murdering them when the DJD come after her.” Night Blight snapped and marched out of the room. Hot Rod right behind her.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Megatron did not dare to demand the silent mech give him a full debrief of everything his sons knew of the femmes, or the Autobot base they had been cared for in. He had lost the right to do that for now and he knew better then to try and force the matter and so instead, he simply ignored that Soundwave had left the room before the debriefing had even begun, giving Tarn and Vos a deadly glare from behind his mask before sealing the door to his lab tightly.

Knockout could get his scans and medical checks on the twins later.

Safely locked in the lab, Soundwave fell to his knees and clutched both his sons tightly, his mask retracting to show his true face as his frame shaking from the surge of emotions that had been kept in check since the whole mess began, only soothed by the tiny hands and whispers of his sons as they returned the tight embrace.

They were safe. They were unharmed and they were alive.

Ravage purred deep in her chest and nuzzled into the embrace, lightly grooming both her brothers and making sure in her own way they were unharmed, nudging and sniffing at their frames for anything that wasn’t meant to be there and while the rain had washed off most of the Autobot scents, Comet Trail’s scent was strong but so was a second femme’s scent on Frenzy.

“The Medic?” She asked.

“No, the older sister.” Frenzy said, “She made sure I was ok while we were there, she fed us, made sure we were warm and she let us play puzzle games so we didn’t get board.” He explained.

“Why would she do that?” Ravage asked.

“She’s LCC.” Rumble said sadly and Soundwave pulled back just enough to look at his sons. “She’s Tri-Personality, they have Low chances to carry as it is, but she’s also stuck in two forms, so the personalities can’t develop properly. Making her less likely to carry a bitlet to term without seriously ruining her own mental state.” He explained, “That’s why they didn’t tell her the trade had been moved up and why she was so violent back there, she was running on guardian protocol. She took over as primary carer for us while we were in their care.”

“LCC?” Frenzy asked.

“Low Chance Carrier.” Ravage explained, “She could have a child of her own, but she would need to be in a stable environment, have an attentive mate and have enough processor space and separate frames for the personalities to develop into or she could risk her bitlet being over written by one of the personalities and being a Symbiotic Copy of herself rather than a natural bitlet like we were when we were born.”

Soundwave nodded and looked to Frenzy. “You are well?”

“I am.” Frenzy assured, letting Soundwave plug the tip of his larger whisker into his back and scan him in ways no medic could ever scan him, finding the repaired and carefully patched up fire wall breached Night Blight had done for him along with the broken and ruined lines of the virus coding that was being purged from his systems and body.

He also found several memory files of the care Blitz Racer had given them both that went above and beyond what was expected of care givers on opposing sides of the war. She fed them low to mid-grade energon, she wrapped them in blankets to keep them warm when their systems were still thawing from the sleeper pods and brough them game pads to keep them entertained. She helped Frenzy walk and test his limbs as his body purged the virus with the help of Night Blight’s Anti-virus.

“You are fond of her.” He said.

“She was genuinely kind to us, even though we’re cons.” Frenzy said.

“Can we give her a thank you gift?” Rumble asked.

Soundwave smiled. “We can try. But later.” He said.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“We killed him.” Sparks, she’d not even given him a chance! She’d just torn him apart, she’d taken his life without thought or care or mercy. She’d enjoyed it even!

“He deserved it.”

“But we… we killed him.”

“No one will punish you.”

“But we…”

“Hush now.” Comet Trail insisted softly, cradling her friend close as she cried and repeated over and over again that she’d killed Turmoil. She knew why, she’d done it herself locked in the darkness of her Carrier’s room, hidden under his blanket trying to find comfort in an embrace wasn’t there. She’d killed two Cons with her bare hands, she knew the guilt and confusion and fear that came with the withdrawal from the killing high took a long time to fade away, and she’d suffered it twice alone. But this was the first time Blitz Racer had ever killed anyone and while Night Blight would have been the better choice to help with calming her sister down, the young medic was dealing having her own issue right now.

Blitz needed stability and Comet Trail was going to give it to her as best she could. Gentle words, soft instructions, steady hands. Everything she had wanted but never gotten she was giving to Blitz Racer now, damn her own pain, damn her own need to vent, damn it all. It could wait until Blitz was settled and stable.

“I killed him…”

“You did what any guardian of a bitlet would have done.”

“I didn’t care… I just… I killed him…”

“And you would have done no different if it had been Night Blight in my arms.” 

“I’m a Monster.”

“Never.” Comet Trail said and made Blitz Racer look at her. “You are not a monster. You are a Femme with more carrier nature then anyone I know, you attacked because he threatened two bitlets lives and has killed others before them. The joy you felt is part of the killing high, it will stop being enjoyable when your settled and calm again. You are not a monster Blitz Racer of Iacon. You are an Autobot and you will be an amazing Carrier one day. You are not a monster. Say it.”

“I am… I am not a monster.” 

“Good. Now you keep telling yourself that.” Comet Trail instructed. “It’s not easy, getting past this, but it will go away and you will learn to cope with what you feel, and you will not be alone, because I will help you, and so will Blight and Hots.” 

“Promise…?”

“I give you my oath.” Comet Trail stated and Blitz Racer nodded, clinging even tightly to her friend and sister as she cried. 

Night Blight stepped into the dark room and paused, letting the energy field in the room brush against her body, following it to the back of the room and then stopped beside Blitz Racer’s bed. Blitz Racer was shaking violently, clutching Comet Trail so tightly the armour had dented under her hold while the Assassin femme held her and slowly rocked back and forth, one hand gently rubbing Blitz’s back while the other gently cradled her helm, letting her cry into her shoulder as the realization of what she had done slammed into her.

She reached out with her own field and Comet Trail looked up to her, nodding and reached out to her, lightly pulling Night Blight down to join them and guided Night Blight’s hands to Blitz Racer’s sides and arms.

‘Slow, gentle strokes, like when you want to calm down a frightened child, don’t ask her anything, just stay close, communicate via text with me. She hasn’t registered that you’re here yet.’

‘Ok.’ Night Blight nodded. ‘Who did this for you?’

‘No one.’ Night Blight blinked in shock and Comet Trail smiled sadly. ‘No one knew how to approach me after what I did to Overlord. Not even Elita. I had to come down from the killing high on my own. I won’t let her go through that.’

‘I’m sorry.’

Comet Trail gently poked her nose plates. ‘You got nothing to be sorry about. We weren’t stationed together during that time so even if you have known how to help me, you couldn’t have done it. But we are together now, and she needs it more than me.’

‘If Prime ever got onto this text channel he’d flip.’

‘After the slag he pulled today, he isn’t in the best light right now. That’s why I told Hot Rod to keep them both away from us for a while. Blitz isn’t going to just forgive this betrayal of her values.’

‘And you?’

Comet Trail sighed heavily. ‘They endangered bitlets. They should have known better then to gamble on the trade working to draw Turmoil out. I’ll forgive eventually, but I will never forget or allow them to control any situation regarding Bitlets again.’

“Ahem.” A music voice called out and Comet Trail smiled, not even needing to look up as two small mechs rushed forwards and wiggled into the small pile up, wrapping their tiny arms around Blitz Racer’s frame in as best a hug as they could manage while a fluffy maned feline nuzzled up against Blitz Racer’s side.

“Blaster?” Blitz Racer asked in a broken voice as she realized she and Comet Trail weren’t alone anymore.

“Wanted to make sure you were ok.” The music mech smiled, “May I come in?”

“Sure.” Blitz Racer nodded, smiling weakly as she hugged the twin mini mechs close with one arm and lightly petted Steeljaw’s lion like mane. “Thanks boys.”

“You owe us hugs anyway, spending so much time with those two other bitlets.” Eject teased lightly and then ducked his helm as Comet Trail have him a light bonk on the helm with two fingers. “Owies.”

“I will withhold energon candies.” The Assassin promised emptily then looked at Blaster. 

“You aren’t being told off for what you do, I promise. Ironhide, Kup and Chromia all told Prime and Elita-one it was a bad idea to gamble like that and they chose to go through with it. You aren’t being punished for what happened.”

“Chromia’s here?” Blitz Racer asked.

“On her way.” Blaster said, “With supplies and weapons to help and someone I think you two need to see.”

“Please don’t say Prowl.” Blitz Racer pleaded. “We have enough rules to follow.”

“Nah, Prowl is off with Jazz.” Rewind smiled. “Someone nicer.”

“Bluestreak?”

“Older and not as talkative.” Eject smiled.

“No more guesses though, you’ll spoil the reaction.” Steeljaw said and lightly poked Blitz Racer’s nose with his tail fluff. “Think you can sleep now?”

“I think so.” She nodded and slowly let Comet Trail stand up. “Sorry I grabbed you.”

“You needed it.” Comet smiled. “You three staying to snuggle?” She asked knowingly and sure enough, the three younglings instantly snuggled closer to Blitz Racer, intent on sleeping.

“You wanna have that talk now or later?” Blaster asked and Comet Trail looked to Blitz Racer and Night Blight. “Hide, Me and Kup, no one else. I promise.”

“We’ll be ok.” Night Blight assured with a small nod. “Go do whatever it is you Spec Ops do to cool off.”

“Make sure she gets extra energon in the morning and put a cover over her when she’s asleep,” Comet Trail instructed softly. “And then go to sleep yourself.”

“Yes ma’am.” She nodded. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

It was late in the evening when Optimus woke to hear his commlink bleeping with a message. With a heavy sigh, he answered. “Prime.”

} “We leave you with only one word of advice Optimus.” { Tarn’s voice stated on the other end. } “Whispers spread that Blitz Racer is carrying a target on her back. One that began with her Parental Units.” { And with that the like went dead.

Elita knew no one would believe them if she said Optimus cursed that night.


	15. 15

15

Blaster’s kids loved not being the smallest ones on base.

Steeljaw was able to mass shift himself into a small house cat sized feline and took on the image of a large fluffy tom cat to help keep Raf safe at night along side Bumblebee while Eject and Rewind were able to scan and take the form of a hand held video recorder and a laptop, when working together, the two could relay live feeds to one another.

The tension between Prime, Comet Trail, Blitz Racer and Elita-one was still there, but the two younger femmes were at least talking and listening to their Leader and commander for the time being, even if they did now ‘forget’ to check in every hour on the hour and answer with the respectful ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’. After a week, Arcee and Blitz Racer got into a fist fight in the training room and while Night Blight had warned Arcee not to push, the Biker femme did not listen and Blitz Racer almost broken the biker’s arm off before Comet Trail snapped her out of the battle haze and dragged her through a well timed Ground bridge.

Ironhide and Kup brought the two femmes back a whole day later, both unconscious and half dead from lack of energon, but when they woke up, neither one spoke a word to Arcee and Comet Trail dropped her shifts with the biker.

It was late one afternoon that Blitz Racer noticed she was being followed by a very persistent black cat, after six blocks she gave up and used her hologram to mimic the action of opening her side door. “Here kitty-kitty.” 

She didn’t doubt that the slight jab of claws in her seat were a warning not to call her that again as she closed her door and drove along the road. “Take your next left.” The cat said. “And please don’t contact your friends. We aren’t here to attack or make trouble.” 

“I got that much after you managed to follow me for six blocks and not get angry at the human children trying to pet you.” Blitz Racer chuckled, taking the directions given and found herself in a disused underground parking lot and followed the path through a small ground bridge. “So, what do you want?”

“I want to say thank you for looking after my brothers.” Ravage said, as they exited the bridge to find themselves in a large open cove on a hidden natural beach. Blitz Racer opened her side door again and turned off her Holoform as Ravage jumped out and let her Transform. “My brothers want to give you a gift.”

“A gift?”

“They are insistent.” Ravage huffed, nodding towards the cove as Rumble and Frenzy stepped from it shade, looking rather sheepish and nervous as they carried a box between them

“You guys didn’t need to get me a gift.” Blitz Racer smiled.

“But we wanted too,” Rumble said, “You took care of us like a Carrier, even though we were technically Trade fodder for your friend. You didn’t have to feed us or make sure we didn’t get board and you didn’t have to fight to protect us from Turmoil, but you did. So we kinda felt we owed you.”

“Especially when we were the reason your friend got caught by Airachnid in the first place.” Frenzy added. “And its not like we’re giving you the keys to a big victory over the Boss or something.” 

“Alright.” Blitz Racer smiled, “What’s in the box?”

“We found it on the scanners and there was some energon inside, but when we came to look we found it was all little crystals and Starscream said it was worthless to mine here because the deposit would be minimal and not worth the effort or time to mine. But we dug a little more and found some pretty green coloured jewel.” Rumble said with a proud smile. 

“Soundwave says femmes like pretty stuff like that, so we made you and your sister something using the jewel we found.” Frenzy said as they held the box up to her. “Ratbat says yours should fit like the necklace your friend wears. And we made the strap adjustable on the bracelet for your sister.”

Blitz Racer smiled. “I’m amazed you guys even know about that; she never lets anyone hold on to it when we go on missions.” She said taking the box carefully.

“Yes she tore the hand off the insecticon that tried to take it off her neck when she came to us before Knockout dismissed them telling everyone it was just a charm necklace and had no use other then being a pretty thing around her neck.” Ravage purred. “Has she always been so protective of it?”

“Yes.” Blitz Racer nodded and after tugging the neatly tied bow open and removing the box lid she smiled.

They’d found jade and with careful detail, had made her a necklace in the shape of the old Cybertronian words, ‘Our Guardian’. And a bracelet that read ‘Our Healer’. Like Comet Trail’s necklace the one they had made would fasten behind her neck with a magnetic clasp, but the bracelet was much like a human wristwatch, with multiple small holes in a chain to clasp the hook of the lock too.

“They are beautiful,” She said and put the bracelet in her subspace for Blight later and let the twins carefully put the necklace around her neck. “Thank you.”

“And thank you.” A new voice said and Blitz Racer blinked not able to recognize the voice as one she knew until she looked back to the cove and saw Soundwave stood there, Ravage already curling around his feet while Ratbat flew over and dropped a wild rose into her hand with a light chitter. “For keeping them safe from Turmoil.”

“Your still have your own voice?” She asked. “The reports say you lost your voice before you were famous in the pits.”

“I suffered an injury to the neck, but it was not enough to rob me of my voice.” Soundwave clarified. “Only Megatron and the medic who fixed me know that fact, the rest is simply Autobot gossip.” 

“If you have your own voice why use to recordings of others and keep the gossip going?” she asked starting to feel like she had, in fact heard his voice before somewhere.

“Because he likes the mystery.” Rumble smiled, “And Femme’s love mystery mechs.” 

“Hush Rumble.” Soundwave said and then looked back up to Blitz Racer. “Your friends will worry if you are not back soon I would think. But if you wish to return here at any point, the coordinates are written on a note in the box we gave you.” he stated and gave a polite bow before opening two ground bridges, one behind her and one behind himself as Ravage, Ratbat and his sons headed through it. “Good day, m’lady.” 

Blitz Racer blinked then it hit her, she knew his voice because it was the voice of one of her favourite musical artists from before the war. “Songs for the Carriers.” She said, and Soundwave paused, turning back to her in shock. “You’re voice. I remember hearing it on the collection. You sang ‘Slumber Deep’ and covered ‘Lullaby my little ones’ on the music collection for first time Carriers.”

Soundwave was quiet for a moment then nodded. “That was before I was injured.” He said. “I do not sing anymore.”

“You should.” Blitz Racer said, “I loved hearing those songs and the others you did on the Ultimate Collection for Sparks and Stars. I have a signed copy until the bombing raid destroyed it.”

Her commlink suddenly blinked to life. ~ “Blitz? Where’d you get too? Its almost time for us to pick up the kids from school.” ~ Comet Trail asked.

“I’ll be right there.” Blitz promised before cutting her comm off. “I gotta go, but I mean what I said. You should sing or at least use your real voice more often.” She said and turned to leave.

“If you are able, return here tomorrow at sunset.” Soundwave suggested as he departed from the cove.

“Tomorrow at sunset.” She repeated with a nod.


	16. 16

16

Comet Trail nearly stalled out.

“You want me to what?”

“To dance with me.” Hot Rod shuffled his peds.

“Why me?”

“Because you actually know how to dance.”

“Wait you mean you want to dance old style Cybertronian?” Comet Trail asked. “Why?”

“Because Kup’s been on my case about not being involved enough with you three femmes and he wants to make sure I still know how to be a part of the quad.” Hot Rod sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know it’s a pain to ask, but we all know if I don’t fit with the quad, they’ll call on someone else or try to pry me away.”

“And you don’t want that.” Comet Trail nodded, “Fine, but I am not dancing waltz box step or fast triple steps with you. you have two left peds and you never get the spin right.” 

“The Pax Duo step.” Hot Rod offered.

“Fine. When does he want this dance done?” she asked and Hot Rod gave a sheepish chuckle. “Hot Rod.”

“Tonight. Before patrol.” The speeder said and Comet Trail sighed. “Please?”

“Fine.”

Hot Rod smiled brightly. “Thank you and I will owe you for the rest of my hopefully long life for this one favour.”

“And the sixteen others you also owe me.” Comet Trail reminded and he gave a light chuckle.

And then the alarms began screaming.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Did she take lessons?” Breakdown asked hammer blocked by the staff in Blitz Racer’s left hand from hitting her helm, her right hand keeping Knockout at range with her blaster.

“We all did.” Blitz Racer smirked. “C.Ts just makes it look easy.”

“Wow.” Knockout said then jumped back to avoid the shot. “They together?”

“In his dreams maybe.” Blitz Racer chuckled.

No way was she telling them who was and wasn’t a pair, though she did have to be honest and admit she was taking notes while holding Breakdown and Knockout off easily, though that could have been because Breakdown was dumbstruck and Knockout was impressed, as Hot Rod and Comet Trail somehow managed, between fighting Airachnid, a trio of Insecticons and dodging the shots from Vehicons, to perform the Pax Dou step dance, without music. 

And they didn’t miss a step. Even Soundwave was brought to a moment’s pause when he realized what was happening and then went back to trying to stop Arcee and Bumblebee getting the relic. 

Kup, who was watching from the base gave a long sigh. “I am never living this down.”

“You caused this?” Bulkhead asked as Night Blight struggled to hide her laughter at Comet Trail using a spin kick to send Airachnid into Elita-One’s shot.

“I may have said things I now will never say again.” Kup said watching the two finish their dance and even give the final bow and curtsy to one another before double punching the last insecticon down.

“We got the relic! Let’s go!” Arcee yelled suddenly before diving right into the waiting ground bridge, Bumblebee and Blitz Racer right behind her as Elita-One, Hot Rod and Comet Trail raced towards the portal, Elita turning back to cover the younger two as they ran.

“Come on CT!” Hot Rod yelled back. 

“Later Lovers!” Comet Trail bid with a wink as she and Elita-one vanished into the ground bridge.

~@~@~@~@~@~

It was later in the evening when Optimus returned from Patrol to hear the sound of laughter coming from the ‘Teen Bots’ room as Miko had named it, genuine, joyful laughter from all four of them, it was a sound he had not heard in a very long time and quietly he left them to enjoy the moment while he asked Elita just what they had found so funny that it had truely made them laugh.

“Kup questioned Hot Rod’s place in the Quadlet, Comet Trail and Hot Rod danced on the battlefield and proved that despite his more level and calm approach to some situations he is still as much a part of their team as ever.” 

Optimus blinked. “Why questions his place?”

“Because of the four of them, he is the one who doesn’t seem so driven to be the hero and saviour, I was worried it was because they had dropped him.”

“Never going to happen.” Blaster stated from his place. “The older girls may be violent, and yes Comet Trail and Blitz Racer do have a lot of issues that make them both more prone to jump in helm first. But without Hot Rod to balance them out and pull them in in they do go too far, they’d be a lot worse.” 

“He didn’t pull them in before.”

“He hasn’t needed to.” Blaster said, “Every time there has been a conflict either Optimus or Elita have been there but if ever the is a time they aren’t Hot Rod will be the one to reign them in, and you know that.”

“It’s been a while since the four were out together.” Kup tried to defend then huffed when Optimus shook his head.

“We have other matters to tend to.” He said. “But for now, let them enjoy being young.”

“Yes sir.” Kup sighed then looked up. “Heading out lass?”

“I need to spin these wheels, and since I have late shift into night patrol tomorrow, I’m taking the night to really burn the energy off, so I’ll sleep for the shift.” Comet Trail stated, “Unless you have some other fake test to give me to test how closely we’re tied to Hots?”

“Enjoy your night.” Elita-one stated and Comet Trail nodded before transforming and taking off.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Miko blinked several times just to make sure she was indeed seeing what she thought she was seeing as she stood atop the steps to the relaxing /chillout human space at the Bots base the next day after school.

She was.

Raf was asleep, his glasses neatly folded up and set carefully on the table, Scruffs was curled up beside Raf and around the two was Steeljaw, keeping both Raf and Scruffs warm and cozy as they slept.

“Now that’s just cute.” She smiled.

“You haven’t seen Bee, Blight and the twins yet.” Blaster smiled as he carefully carried her around to the bots’ chill zone, where Night Blight was sleeping soundly on the large sofa, Eject and Rewind settled at her sides. Bumblebee was also sleeping though he was sat in a makeshift chair, making light ‘zzzzz’ sounds every few seconds.

“How come they’re all sleeping? Its like, mid afternoon.” Miko asked quietly.

“Blight had night patrol with my children, and Raf said he hadn’t slept well at home because of some kind of construction work going on near the house, Bumblebee was on high alert all night just to make sure there was no problem. They got back from classes and just crashed.”

“Who crashed?” Blitz Racer asked as she returned to base with Hot Rod from picking up Jack, then paused at the sight before her and smirked. “D’awww.”

“Do you mind if a steal Hot Rot for Patrol? I know you two just got back but they need some rest and you have late shift with Comet Trail.” Blaster asked with a sheepish smile.

“Do I get control of the music until we find something?” The flame painted mech asked as Blaster lightly placed Miko down on her own two feet again.

“As long as it’s not that gibberish they call rap.” The musical mech smiled as they headed out.

Blitz Racer smiled and headed to her shared room and quietly slipped inside, seeing Comet Trail sleeping deeply on her own berth.


	17. 17

17

The day had started out so well.

Then the commlink had blared to life from Bumblebee and Raf, who had been out to do some field research for a paper Raf needed to finish, calling for help as a big Autobot shuttle had come down and they needed help. The fact the space bridge opened up almost right behind the Decepticon forces and unleashed Ironhide into the shell-shocked Cons as Hot Rod and Night Blight skidded into the fray to help Chromia defend the shuttle.

Raf was sure one of the cons screamed like a little girl when Ironhide unleashed Cybertronian curses, or at least they seemed to be curses given the way Bumblebee told him Ironhide was always foul mouthed when his mate was in danger.

Once the Cons had been beaten and chased away, Ironhide helped Chromia, a green and white coloured femme with more weapon holsters and ammo chains around her body then Kup, from the crashed wreckage of her shuttle and moved to help her through the ground bridge while Hot Rod, Bumblebee and Night Blight worked together to lift the whole shuttle up while Raf guided them through the bridge.

“Sparks and Stars Chromia! Did you pack the whole armoury in this thing?” Hot Rod asked in a strained groan.

“And a few other little things.” Chromia smiled sweetly as Ratchet cleared her for light action, she had managed to get through the fight with little more then a scuff to her face. Like Elita-one, she was built to fight and protect, but where Elita had missiles in her shoulder, Chromia had what looked like twin miniature rail cannons on her shoulders and a nasty looking pair of gatling guns.

“How do Femme’s pack so much into such a small space?” Hot Rod asked in a mutter.

Raf didn’t know what was said next but judging by the sudden flush of energon to Hot Rod’s face and the laughing from Night Blight, Blaster and Chromia, whatever Comet Trail and Blitz Racer were saying to Hot Rod in Cybertronian wasn’t a bad thing, and he was proven right when the two femmes swung into the room, transformed and then playfully punched Hot Rod’s shoulders before Blitz Racer embraced Chromia and Comet Trail caught her arm in greeting.

“So, the minis mentioned you were bringing someone to see us.” Blitz Racer said as she and Comet Trail pulled back a little.

“Oh, did they?” Chromia asked with a knowing smile at Blaster and his children. “Did they say who?”

“No, but they did confirm it wasn’t Prowl or Bluestreak.” Comet Trail said. “Rung?”

“Still hold up with Fortress Maximus as a few others we managed to find. And no, it’s not Hot Spot or his Brothers either, so your rank as Prima is still intact.” The older femme smiled.

“Then who?” Blitz Racer asked.

“Ahem.”

Comet Trail and Blitz Racer turned so fast Raf was sure if he had blinked, he’d have missed the looks of joy and relief that broke over their faces before both femmes threw themselves at the new mech and clung to him in a tight hug. He stood almost as tall as Megatron, perhaps a little taller, with his wings tucked back behind his back as he knelt and embraced both femmes in return, huge arms holding both with tender gentleness as they spoke in cybertronian, the bigger mech sounding like he was soothing the two femmes as they rapidly questioned him.

“That’s Skyfire.” Night Blight explained as Raf looked to her for answers. “He’s kinda like an uncle to those two. Helped them get past some of the worse scrap they went through in training.”

“And is one of the few mech those two will tackle hug like that.” Hot Rod smiled.

~@~@~@~@~@~

When Agent Fowler had asked about how the now over crowded Out Post Omega one would fit even more Bots in it for sleeping arrangements, Wheeljack, Blaster and his children and Ironhide having all been bunking in their respected shuttles until this point, Skyfire mentioned that he had in fact been stationed on earth during the war and with Optimus’ permission he would return to and clean out his old work base and use that for himself and open it for the other Autobots to use as shuttle parking and storage for their new weaponry and resources, as the base was originally a refinery that turned Raw energon crystals of Earth into Energon, and while he understood Earth was not their home, he also knew how to create energon from solar, thermal, nuclear, wind and tidal energy sources, he would need only a few tools, some equipment and after a few hours of phone calls and a lot of questions from his higher ups, Agent Fowler was able to get the ok and Skyfire brought everyone to his old base, perfectly hidden in the depths of the earth and self-contained.

It took a week for Skyfire to get everything set up and the first batch of Energon to be made.

Elita noticed how quickly both Comet Trail and Blitz Racer focused on Skyfire and his work, using it as a thinly vailed excuse not to talk to either Prime or herself and instead seeming to bury their problems and issues away.

“You worry too much, Elita.” Chromia voice broke Elita from her thoughts as she sat at her desk, the other femme carefully setting a cube of fresh energon down for her. 

“How did you-?”

“I have been your friend almost as long as Ironhide has known Prime, Elita. I know you.” the green femme smiled kindly and the femme commander sighed heavily. “Spill it.”

“Where do I even begin?” Elita-one asked with a grim shake of her helm. “My attempts to be both confidant and friend to Comet Trail have all ended in her shutting me out again because I pushed too far or too soon. Blitz Racer and Night Blight are both furious with Prime and I for the mess of a Trade for Comet Trail and the Twin Mechlings of Soundwave’s.”

“The others and I would have been no different had we been here.” Chromia stated calmly as she sipped her energon. “You did make a bad call that day Elita.”

“My own Son,” Elita went on, not even bothering to reprimand Chromia for interrupting her, “bless his spark he’s trying so hard to just be neutral though out it all but it just seems he and Night Blight get dragged into the middle of it all and somehow Prime and I always come out the wrong ones, the enemy that they can’t trust to open up and talk to concerning their growing list of issues and problems. Honestly, I feel like Comet Trail just shuts us out because she finds it easier to bury it all and pretend she isn’t hurting over everything that’s happened but I see it Chromia, I see the way she watches every exit, every time she looks at me she isn’t seeing a Commander she can trust, she’s seeing a stranger, someone who just wants to find a flaw and ship her off the theory or lock her in the brig.” 

“You did once threaten to do that too her when she was still obsessed with finding her Sire.” Chromia reminded. “Didn’t do much besides make her more incline to find someone more aggressive to take her frustration out on, but you never did take that threat back.”

“And Blitz Racer, sparks above that girl worries me the most,” Elita admitted as she put her helm in her hands. “Her personalities are starting to cause her systems to short out, I see her look at Prime and me with fear, not that scared because she’s done something wring fear, but real, genuine fear. Of us! We raised her Chromia, her and Night Blight are like daughters to me and I love them both with all I am but sometimes I see Blitz Racer watching me when I’m near Night Blight and she is tense, as if she expects me to hurt Night Blight.”

“Have you considered talking about getting her a third form?” Chromia asked.

“We haven’t got the parts or equipment for it here, even with all that you and Skyfire brought us we are still missing two key components.” Elita one sighed heavily and emptied her cube. “I don’t know what to do Chromia, I really don’t. I have tried everything I can think of, but no matter what I do or how close I get to making progress with them, they suddenly pull back.”

“they’ll always pull back.” Chromia stated. “Elita do you remember what it was like back in the first days of the War with Megatron? How quickly and sudden it all changed for all of us? How many children were suddenly orphans or missing a parent, sibling or were found dead in the ruins of the battlefield?”

“Of cause I do.” Elita said sadly.

“They remember it too,” Chromia said, “Worse, Blitz and Blight lost their real Parental Units to the war and they lived through it all until now. They saw kids their own age, younger and even older killed and lost just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, they saw their world destroyed around them and they saw it all as children.”

“Bumblebee is their age.” Elita one stated, “He saw the war break out, and he isn’t like them.”

“Bumblebee was raised and guarded through the last years of the Senate War by You, Optimus, Ironhide and me. He wasn’t given a perfect childhood, but between us we gave him hope, and we taught him peace would come, and it did, however briefly. Blitz Racer and Night Blight have never known peace beyond War because they were born during the Peace and witnessed the onset of War. They don’t know that the nightmares can be soothed away, that the monsters that scream in the back of their heads that the war is never going to end, that they will never see peace or know life without the threat of losing those they love because no matter how much we tell them it will happen, they can’t see beyond what they know now. Stories, faith and hope keep them going but they live with the constant threat that each day, each time they go out on a patrol, may be the last time they see each other, the last time they get to say ‘love you’ to those they care about. Those girls don’t want to let you close to tell you all their fears and worries because to them, you and Prime are the living embodiment of hope and faith and the living promise that their will be peace.”

“How do you know that?” Elita-one asked.

“Because it’s how Moonracer felt when we were fighting the Senate War.” Chromia said with a weak smile, “She came to me in tears and broke down in my arms after the battle of Vos.”

Elita looked at the green femme in silent shock, that battle had been midway through the Senate Wars, one of the worse losses to the then rebellion United forces, Vos had sealed itself tightly away from the War, a safe heaven for the young and elderly to live in somewhat peaceful ignorance of the war while the Vosian Air Lords and their armadas continued their off world trading, exploring and living outside of the Senate’s laws as they were a sovereign nation, a floating colony of fliers, seekers, shuttlers who were key to any import and export business on the surface of Cybertron. The Senate had not liked this, and while the attack had been expected, no one had ever thought that the Senate would go as far as they had to strike down Vos and her people.

“Moonracer was on the verge of breaking, not just mentally, but physically and emotionally as well. She told me she’d seen it all happen while she was with Power Glide on a date during off hours, she told me that Power Glide had broken down and cursed the Senate and all its members and sworn he would never rest til the Senate was dead and gone. He died during the battle that followed and when I told her to talk to you, to admit she needed help and time to recover from all the killing we’d asked her to do, she begged me not to make her go to you or Prime. My baby sister who had never once begged me for anything in our lives begged me Elita.” Chromia said, shaking her helm and wiping a small tear away.

“Why?”

“Because she was afraid that if she burdened you with the knowledge of just how much she was hurting inside, how scared she was that the war wouldn’t end well for us and we’d lose everything we were trying to save, that she would taint your views, that her fears would spread to you and on into everyone else in the Leader Units. That if she admitted she was on the rim of breaking that you and Optimus would stop leading the fight with other United Leaders and we would all fail.” Chromia explained. “She was about Blitz Racer’s age when she told me that, and for the first time, I stopped and I looked around and I realized that while I was numb to the deaths and losses because I’d witnessed it with Darkmount and the City of Rust, Moonracer had never seen the loss of a city like that before, she’d been sheltered from it because I wanted her to be safe… I thought that by sheltering her and telling her it would all be ok, I would spare her the nightmares. Instead I left her open to them and the fear they gave her, the thought that you and Optimus who so openly cared and loved each one of us, who stood along side the other leaders and radiated the light of hope and faith that it would end in peace were the only thing that kept her going, if she tainted that light, even a little, she though that it would make the Nightmares stronger, make the monsters that were the Senate strong enough to beat the Unified Forces and kill you all. She begged me never to speak of it to you until the war was over and while it killed me inside to agree, I promised I wouldn’t say anything to you or Prime, I took her to Rung the moment I knew he was free and after a few sessions, she was stable again but even after that, I sat up some nights just holding her as she cried because she was so afraid.”

“And you believe Blitz Racer is the same?” Elita asked.

“Worse, given that she has both a fearful and paranoid side to her personality that is only heightened by her confined two form body type.” Chromia agreed. “She’ll tell you somethings Elita, but the truth is she will only open up about thing to you when the War is over because she sees you and Prime as the Light that makes everything worth fighting for and she doesn’t want to taint that glow with her dirt.” Elita-one blinked, remembering something Comet Trail had said and Chromia paused, her face growing concerned. “What?”

“Just… something Comet Trail said to Optimus and I,” Elita explained. “She said, ‘I’m the dirty hands of the Autobots, the one who works to plans and orders no one ever wants to know were approved by the Prime. You and your family can stand in the light and be loved by everyone for ending the war because you had bots like me in the shadows doing the messy jobs’.”

“Sounds like she took her Sire and Carrier’s lessons to spark.” Chromia smiled. “But you shouldn’t worry about her as much either. She may be young, but she isn’t fixed on you and Prime because a ‘shining light of hope’ like Moonracer and Blitz Racer.”

“Then what does she see us as?”

“The right choice.” Chromia said with a smile. “Kid’s got a lot of issues, and yes, she does need to work though them, but sometimes its best to let kids work through their issues their own ways as long as they aren’t all self-destructive.” She stated with a low chuckle. “Trust me Elita, just because Comet Trail doesn’t come to you or Prime to talk about her issues doesn’t mean she isn’t talking to someone about what’s going on in her helm.”

“I can’t help but worry.” Elita reminded, “Chromia I saw the aftermath of what she did to Overlord, I see the empty looks she still gives me sometimes, and the injuries she’s given Blitz Racer when they go sparring.” She shook her helm. “I’m not sure it is safe to keep ignoring just how deep her trauma goes.”

“It’s not ignoring the trauma that really scares you though, is it?” Chromia asked and Elita-one sighed heavily.

“Recently I’ve noticed that she is sneaking out of the base late at night, and I’m not so blind as to not notice her tyres are wearing down rather fast for someone who only does patrols on her wheels when there are no humans around. She hasn’t missed her shifts or been taking more then her share of energon, but it’s still a concern.”

“She is a young adult with a lot of extra energy.” Chromia reminded with a gentle smile. “And as long as it’s not effecting her work and duties, she’s not technically breaking the rules.” 

Elita looked at her friend with a slight glare. “You are not meant to encourage her.”

“All due respect ‘Lita,” the green femme smiled using an old nick name. “Comet Trail’s a good kid, she’s stubborn, she’s a little wild and yes, she sometimes worries us, but she’s got Blitz, Blight, Hots and she has Skyfire, Blaster and even Ironhide to help her worth through the extra stresses. Just because she’s not at your door doesn’t mean she’s keeping it bottled up.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

“He’ll never stop loving you.”

Optimus paused when he heard Skyfire’s statement, gentle, honest and kind and spoken as if to sooth someone. Listening more closely, the red and blue Prime heard the hiccup of Blitz Racer as she cried.

“But I killed someone Sky! I didn’t even stop to think or give them a chance! I just killed him! Like I was some kind of savage!” 

“You were defending little ones and I know Comet’s already talked to you about it. Trust me Blitz Racer, Optimus could never stop loving you,” they huge flier stated again, the gentle sounds of his huge hands gently rubbing Blitz’s back as she cried into his chest made Optimus silently lean back against the wall and wait for them to finish. “It’s impossible for Optimus Prime to hate anyone. Now you listen to me Blitz Racer, you’ve got a few issues in your helm that make your actions difficult to predict, you’ve had a rough go at it recently and with all the sudden changes around you it’s understandable that you have been feeling out of sorts and unsettled, that stunt Prime and Elita pulled with the trade was just a push too far and you snapped, its not the first time you’ve had a moment like that and it’s not going to be the last but nothing you do, nothing you say or yell at him or her is going to change the way they feel about you. You and Night Blight may not be their biological children, but they love you both with all their sparks and nothing will change that. They know they messed up and while they know they shouldn’t feel they have the right to ask you to speak with them about your problems, they also know that you and Comet Trail can’t be blamed for the way you responded to them when they push for what the answers you aren’t ready to give.” 

“How can you be sure?” Blitz Racer asked in a broken, sobbing hiccup.

“Because they love you.” Skyfire stated with a clear smile in his tone. “For all their worth they would die to protect you and all of us. That’s just how those two are, they see the good in everyone, even if they aren’t Bots. Now dry those eyes, you need to sleep and damp optics make your face itchy.”

Optimus waited, listening to Blitz Racer sniffle and then wash her face before letting Skyfire gently tuck her into the berth and settle to sleep.

“Skyfire…?”

“Yes, Blitz Racer?”

“Thank you. For talking to me.” 

“As I tell Comet Trail, anytime you need my help, I will be here.” Skyfire assured.


	18. 18

18

Soundwave knew that Knockout was deliberately avoiding Megatron.

Airachnid’s foolishness and brazen disregard for Starscream’s position and rank as Second had not only cost them the flier but it had also put the silver mech in a violent mood as of late and nothing, not even the timely reports or swift execution of patrols and mining energon had brought that foul mood to an end or even seemed to curb it.

No, Megatron was beyond livid with the mistake the femme had made and while there was no love loss between Starscream and Megatron, Soundwave was no so foolish as to not realize just how much information Starscream had on everything the Decepticons knew, bases, mines, sleeper pods, and more and now that he was in Autobot hands, he had no doubt that the seeker would cut a deal to save his own wings.

Or at least he had thought that.

He’d ordered Ravage to report to him instantly if she caught any scent of the Seeker on the Autobots during battles, and while there was a faint smell of him on Arcee, Optimus, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, it was stale and fading away with each encounter until it was gone.

There was no scent of the seeker on any of the Autobots for a solid week and Soundwave decided to check his theory and once he was safely locked in his personal chamber, he opened a privet channel.

It took a few moments, and when she answered she sounded tired. {What’s wrong? Are the little ones ok?}

Her first concern was always his children, even when she knew they could look after themselves, and always it made him smile. {I am sorry if I woke you from pleasant dreams, but I must know the truth of the matter before something terrible comes to pass.} he explained. {Is Starscream in your care?}

{No. He was captured by Arcee and the others, but after he let slip he snuffed Cliffjumper Arcee lost it. They fought, but Bumblebee made Arcee stop and Starscream slipped off while he was helping her. We haven’t seen him since and we figured he went back to Megatron.}

{He has not. Was he injured?}

{No, Comet Trail found his wing clamps a few miles away from the Harbinger crash site, but nothing since then.} She paused here, the faint whine of a yawn just audible for a second before she continued. {Did Airbitch get smelted down for leaving him?}

{Not yet. Megatron is sadly in need of her to try and keep you and your sisters at bay on the field.} he explained with a hint of pleasure. {Knockout is not repairing her unless it is fatal. Punishment for her mistake.}

{If only I could tell Arcee that.}

{You have not been found out yet?}

{Comet Trail and I have gotten a little more freedom since Chromia and Skyfire turned up. They’ve been helping us cope and while Comet Trail’s using Skyfire’s tracking signals tests as an excuse to race off more often, I get time to just plug my headset in, turn the volume up and enjoy listening to your voice.} 

He blinked. {Your friends have not noticed your necklace?}

{They have, but I think the fact Blight got a bracelet has them all convinced it was just a ‘nice gift for caring for the Cons’ and leave it at that.} He heard the delicate chain lightly move in her fingers. {Do you want me to keep an eye out for Starscream?}

{No, he is not able to leave earth, but he will not make himself a threat to either side unless provoked.}

{Ok.} Another yawn. {Did you need to know anything else?}

{No, thank you for your honesty. Sweet dreams.}

“Soundwave!” The silent mech turned in a shock as Breakdown all but broke his door open, his face stained in fear and dread that Soundwave could see radiating off of the bigger mech. “You have to come! Now!”

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Ratchet! Night Blight!”

The panicked cry from Miko shattered the morning peace, Bumblebee didn’t have time to move aside as Comet Trail jumped over him, Jack, Raf and mini-mechs clinging to the railing as Elita-one and Optimus ran from their office, making the ground shake violently.

Hot Rod was beaten badly, his helm dented in the back from a heavy strike, his right leg missing from the hip joint, his right shoulder sparking violently as he fought to stay on-line from where he hung between Bulkhead and Wheeljack.

Arcee was being carried by Ironhide, her while body covered in dents and scorch marks, energon leaking from both her lips and her throat where a jagged knife blade had sliced her, even as she tried to keep pressure on the injury she was fading fast.

“Give her to me!” Ratchet ordered taking Arcee and turning to see Comet Trail had already cleared a table space for her and was already setting up his tools while Night Blight and Blitz Racer helped Hot Rod.

“What happened?” Elita-one demanded.

“We don’t know, Miko found them like this outside of town when Arcee didn’t show up to pick her up from after school detention. She called me and this is what we found.” Wheeljack explained, handing Ratchet a cube without being asked while Comet Trail tore something from her subspace and used it to apply extra pressure to the slit on Arcee’s throat.

“L-… Loc…”

“Text line Hots, tell us though text line.” Blitz Racer told the flame coloured mech.

‘Lockdown.’


	19. 19

19

Knockout had yelled at Megatron and ordered him to work.

Normally this would result in the medic being punished for daring to even raise his voice to the tyrant.

But no one, not even Megatron himself, could argue that if Knockout hadn’t taken charge, hadn’t snapped out orders and put the Tyrant and Motormaster to work before Soundwave had arrived to help with his smaller hands and knowledge of what Knockout needed, the Decepticons would never had been able to discover the answers of what had almost killed ST3V3.

Currently the lucky mech was laid on a berth in a privet room, where Knockout could personally oversee his recovery, his breathing regulated by the equipment around him while Knockout carefully worked to repair the damage done to his frame and face.

“What did this to you?” Megatron questioned as he watched the Vehicon slowly relearn how to clench his fists.

“L… Lock… down.” ST3V3 managed to say as he tried to relay what had happened. “Cut off… patrol… energon mine… sector… nine… lost… contact with… team… sent to… Check signal… Lockdown… killed all of them… saw… Autobot… Arcee and Hot Rod… on radar before… blacked out…”

“Who authorized your leave from the patrol of the energon mine?”

“Was told… Airachnid had ordered… was chosen by… team leader… K3N…” ST3V3 admitted. “Thought orders… Came from you… Sir…”

“Enough now, you need to rest to recover faster.” Knockout snipped, though Megatron could see the stress lines in the medic’s face, the damage was extensive, and stars help them if this was what Lockdown had done before he’d targeted the Autobots.

Soundwave’s report on the damage came in with signs of not just Lockdown’s usual corrosive bullets, but a new weapon, a weapon that could rival even Megatron’s cannon.

Very troubling.

~@~@~@~@~@~

It took almost six hours to stabilize Arcee and Hot Rod, leaving Night Blight shaken to the core at the damage she’d seen and repaired, so much so that Blaster had offered her a small cube of white energon before locking herself in the training room. Optimus himself had gone and collected Mrs. Darby and Agent Fowler from their work and brough them to the base with Ironhide and Elita-One as back up.

Bumblebee, Comet Trail and Blitz Racer had taken Raf to quickly pack up some spare clothes for the foreseeable future, having already taken Miko and Jack to pack up their clothes and personal items to keep them entertained.

Currently, Jack and Miko were sat going over some revision work for their upcoming exams while Agent Fowler made calls to his higher ups and Mrs. Darby prepared some food for the kids for when Raf came back.

“Lockdown of all mechs,” Kup said as he took a long drag from his cy-gar. “Frag, this is just a mess.”

“No slag.” Ironhide growled, “Comet Trail and Blitz Racer are going to be on high alert constantly now.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Jack asked as he worked on a difficult equation.

“It’s likely to lead to more of their privet sparring matches.” Optimus explained. “And given Lockdown’s cloaking ability, they will start to fight indoors.”

“So, we should stay out of their way for a little while?” Jack asked and Elita-One nodded.

“Carry the one.” the commanding femme suggested and after a moment Jack smiled and nodded finishing the equation and moving on to the next one.

“So, who is Lockdown?” Miko asked, rereading her papers to make sure she had it right.

“A bounty hunter from way back before the Senate Wars, he has no loyalty to either fraction and while his name is on both the DJD List and our own, he has a cloaking that stops us tracking him via radar and thus, he is untraceable.” Chromia explained, “He was the mech no side could trust, now he’s working for who ever pays his fees and he will not stop his hunts until his target is dead or the money stops coming.”

“And because we don’t know what he’s after, we can’t risk putting you in harm’s way.” Optimus stated.

“What are you planning Prime?” Fowler asked.

“For now, it is unwise for the children to be alone in public, however I am aware that they still require their education as Raf has explained there are some important tests coming up. Would it be possible for you to arrange these test sto be postponed or rescheduled for them?”

“I’ll do what I can.” The agent nodded, “But what will they be doing in the meantime?”

“It would not be safe for them to leave our protection,” The Prime explained. “I ask that you all remain here, where you can be better protected from anything Lockdown may be planning.”

“Where can we sleep?” June Darby asked. “Or wash?”

“We’ve got that covered Mrs. Darby.” Rewind proudly assured and opened a small side door of the room to show one of the old office rooms had been cleaned out, painted a nice ocean blue colour with dimmer lights, a bunk bed on one side of the room, along with a double sleeper pull out sofa, a single bed, then he moved to a second room and opened it to show it was also cleaned out and painted a lovely creamy colour with two more beds and a table with a computer set up. “Both rooms had human sized bathrooms and somewhere to wash their clothes.

“After the first M.E.C.H incident, we agreed it was best to have a safe place where the children could stay if Sillies ever tried to target them. Agent Fowler has had all of your families under close protecting, but when they attacked Mrs. Darby, we thought it best to furnish the rooms we did not use for humans.” Optimus explained with a small smile, “We have not finished all the rooms, but for now, the rooms we have finished I hope will be suitable for you to comfortably rest in.”

“Sweet!” Miko cheered.

“Is there anything you don’t think of?” Jack asked playfully.

Whatever answer was coming from Optimus was cut off by the horrified, pleading voice that cried from the main commlink. 

~@~@~@~@~@~

“The others are on the way!” Raf assured though the fear in his voice was clear as he clutched the seat belt tightly, Bumblebee racing as fast as his wheels would take him as Comet Trail and Blitz Racer raced around and alongside him. Trying to shield him from the incoming shots Lockdown was trying to land on the yellow Camaro and his passenger.

“Go Bee!” Comet Trail ordered, barely dodging the shot that came right at them. “Go!”

“He’s locked on!” Blitz Racer warned then yelped as Comet Trail pushed them both out of the line of fire and took the shot hard to her left side. “CT?!” 

Comet Trail burst from the smoke of the attack and kicked Lockdown’s vehicle form, a low-slung Firebird, hard in the fender, forcing him to flip backwards and land on his roof as she returned to her vehicle form and raced after Blitz Racer and Bumblebee. “Fragger!”

Blitz Racer cursed in Cybertronian as Lockdown fall from a ground bridge that opened over top of them, forcing the trip to scatter, putting Lockdown right behind Bumblebee with his weapons trained on the yellow mech, only for Comet Trail to ram the hunter’s side.

~ “Someone call for assistance?” ~ A calm but serious voice asked as powerful engines and a familiar shadow fell over Bumblebee and Blitz Racer. ~ “All aboard!” ~ He added as he flew low and opened the rear gang plank to let Bumblebee drive up into the safety of his hold.

“Hurry Bee!” Blitz Racer instructed as she saw Lockdown racing up behind them and readying his next shot, Comet Trail doing all she could to make the Hunter’s task harder and harder.

Raf clutched the seat belt so tightly his knuckles went white as Bumblebee jerked forwards and came to a sudden stop inside Skyfire’s hold, Blitz Racer right behind them, but she quickly transformed and knelt down using her rifle to take shots at Lockdown as Comet Trail charged towards them as fast as she could.

“Hurry Comet!! We’re running out of space!!” Skyfire warned.

“Frag it.” Blitz Racer hissed and moved to the edge of the gang plank, anchoring herself by grabbing the support rod and reached down, yelling at her friend as she struggled to get up onto the gang plank. Comet Trail transformed and with a few stumbled steps he jumped, grabbing Blitz Racer’s outreached hand and Raf heard a horrid crushing sound as she was pulled up into the safety of Skyfire’s hold. 

Bumblebee gave a panicked screeched and Raf didn’t see what came next, but he heard the most awful sound he’d ever heard, a sound he never wanted to hear again, and then Comet Trail was suddenly holding Blitz Racer’s smoking form, broken cybertronian language frantically echoing around the small space as Skyfire pulled up swiftly and flew as fast as he could.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Ratbat had barely made it back, her pain and fear and other emotions flooding into her siblings as Rumble and Frenzy rushed out to catch her before she could fall to the ground, her wings dented and cracked from the storm she had so desperately fought to get though to return to the ship, carrying her inside as Soundwave gathered his youngest bitlet close and gently ran his fingers over her back. 

“What has happened?” Megatron asked, fully aware that Ratbat was protected from damage from his own cannon because of a barrier field Soundwave had installed in all his children, but this damage looked recent and there had been no report of Lockdown shooting her.

Ratbat gave a light whine, then grew still as Soundwave gently linked her to his chest and began to project the images of what he had seen on his face mask.

~ }Jump for it CT! You won’t make it on your wheels!{ Blitz Racer ordered as she reached out for Comet Trail, who had clearly been hurt by a previous shot from Lockdown.

Blitz Racer caught her friend and heaved her into the back of Skyfire, then pushed Comet Trail behind her and took the full force of a shot into face, the blast shattering her face and knocking her helm off.

}Blitz!? Blitz talk to me! BLITZ!?!{

Rat Bat had turned away, suddenly caught by a glancing shot that damaged her left wing and she had fled, catching the image of Lockdown leaving the scene via a ground bridge. ~

“What is that weapon?” Rumble asked in shock and some fear. “I mean, I know your cannon is powerful but… but it doesn’t do that…” he added looking at Megatron’s cannon and then back to the frozen image of the damage of Blitz Racer’s face and helm.

Megatron said nothing, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts.

~@~@~@~@~@~

Night Blight couldn’t patch up her own sister, her hands were too shaky and the screams from Blitz Racer were too much for the young medic and she had to step away as soon as Ratchet could handle it on his own, Hot Rod, awake but still in some pain had tried to offer some comfort, but it wasn’t enough to stop her crying as her sister continued to scream as if she were being attacked.

Ratchet found the cause after the sixth attempt to sedate the femme. A virus of some kind now ravaged and tore at everything Blitz Racer had known and learnt, it should have made her a drone by all rights, but it seemed instead to have caused a chain reaction that now had Blitz Racer’s memories, programming and personalities fighting for space and dominance inside her processor and systems, to slow the process, Ratchet forced her into a Medical Stasis, but the scanners continued to show a slow creeping increase of the Virus’s works continuing even as Blitz Racer slept.

Normally this would not be such a painful ordeal, but due to the tri-personality glitch, the only safe way to prevent Blitz Racer from overwriting herself into shut down and eventual offlining, would be to reformat her singular form frame into a triple changer frame. The design for which was easy enough to follow, as Blitz Racer had already picked out the forms she wanted and they had most of the parts they needed to make the reformat, but Ratchet was hesitant to begin the work as not only were two of the key components missing, but there was also the high chance with the Virus still active inside Blitz Racer that the reformat could not work the way it should and leave Blitz Racer in a worse state them she already was.

The two Medics had argued, becoming more aggressive and loud in their conversation until they had both snapped at each other before Ratchet left the room.

Comet Trail had not let go of Blitz Racer’s hand the whole time and Ratchet had not dared to try and snap at her to move when he’d noticed how contracted her optics had been and still were, even now as Blitz Racer lay on the berth, struggling to filter air and also struggling to find any restful peace as her three personalities fought for dominance, pleading for some kind of aid that no one could seem to give her. Night Blight sat beside her sister, holding her other hand tightly while Comet Trail, having finally been coaxed away by Hot Rod to get some energon, was crouched beside the other side of the berth, balanced on the balls of her peds, one hand gently laid over Blitz Racer’s hand for comfort while Hot Rod sat in the only seat, his legs still not quite strong enough to hold him for long.

They refused to leave her side. Not even for energon until the order came from Elita-One herself and Chromia came to gently coax them away, leaving Kup stand guard as the commanders wanted to talk with them. Optimus and Elita-one were in their shared office waiting for them, though Night Blight did not lift her gaze to them and clearly only stayed with Hot Rod and Comet Trail because the Heir of Prime was holding her servo in a gentle but firm grip.

“What are they doing here?” 

Optimus stopped and blinked at the empty tone Comet Trail asked that question in. He had expected anger, fear, perhaps even concern, but instead there was nothing but emptiness.

“There has been an unexpected development, as of twenty earth Minutes ago, the Decepticons and Autobots are in a truce.” Elita-one explained with a glance at Megatron and Ravage, the feline con sat silently at Megatron’s side, her tail neatly set over her paws while Megatron stood with his back against the wall, somewhat relaxed but still a commanding stance.

“So, they didn’t pay Lockdown?” Hot Rod asked and while he did hold some level of hurt and anger to his voice, it was clear he did not believe a truce was possible.

“Lockdown targeted two of my mining patrols before he targeted you and Arcee,” Megatron clarified, keeping his tone even despite the accusation thrown so blatantly at him. “We were only made aware of what he had done to your comrade after Ratbat saw the attack and reported back to us. Soundwave is currently hunting the hunter.”

A short glance between Hot Rod and Comet Trail, so swift and so sudden others would have missed it, had they not been watching for it, they saw the logic behind it, but that did not mean they trusted him or that he would keep to the truce.

“So, what’s the issue?” Hot Rod asked.

“Unicron.” Optimus began with a grim tone. “It seems he is entombed by the crust of the earth, and now he is beginning to awaken, leading to the current and widespread weather disasters.” He explained and gave the trip a condensed debriefing of his fight with Unicron’s copies on the surface and the action they had missed while tending to Blitz Racer’s needs.

“So because the aforementioned Dark Energon incidents and the fact Megatron has the same slag in his frame right now means that Unicron is awake and we need to put him back to sleep before we can save the earth from being torn apart from the inside.” Hot Rod stated and while Megatron gave no verbal response, the silver mech smirked. “How do we do that and get the parts Blitz Racer needs?” 

There was a second of hesitation, Megatron almost didn’t catch it, but the faintest hiss of optical units narrowing was enough to tell him the trio had noticed, Ravage gave a slight twitch of her tail but said nothing.

“Prime?” Hot Rod managed to force out and Optimus realized just how little he liked hearing his title from his own son in such a tone. 

“We have no way to return to Cybertron and obtain the parts needed to help Blitz Racer at present.”

“False.” Comet Trail stated and glared at Megatron, “He has an officer who can create Bridges down to the exact co-ordinates. That’s how he has kept his forces so well stocked when so many of them die to our hands. He has the means to get anyone of us to Cybertron to get what we need.”

“Soundwave doesn’t have the energon nor ability to send anyone that far.” Megatron stated and wondered if Optimus and his beloved noticed the sudden clench of Comet Trail’s servo. “And we have more pressing matters to attend.”

“Your stupidity and blind obsession with power caused all of this!” Hot Rod snarled suddenly so angry it would not be hard to see the flame painted mech covered in actual flames, his energy field was burning so hot with barely hidden anger now. “You caused this mess, you doomed our home world and now you expect us to just forget our sister and help you face a foe YOU resurrected!?”

“We do not have the energon or the resources to do two missions at once.” Elita tried to explain only for Comet Trail to snarl at her.

“And yet you can spare us to help this fragger? After the slag they pulled with Starscream and that frag show of a trade?” The assassin asked, “and what’s in this for us? Good bot points? End of the fragging war? Or is this just a Truce of ‘until Megatron has the chance to shoot us all and end the war in his favour’ deal where we get nothing?”

“Comet Trail.” Optimus warned, only to stop as Megatron gave a low chuckle, instantly becoming the target of both Comet Trail and Hot Rod’s attention.

“I am almost glad to see that the children of the next generation are not disillusioned by the fairy tales of the Autobots.” He stated by way of both insulting Optimus but also setting a neutral tone with the Assassin and Heir. “As admirable as your actions are to seek a way to safe your friend, you are both smart enough to know that all the medical labs and stations were raided for parts before the great migration from our home world, there is nothing of use on Cybertron anymore.”

“You’re wrong.” A strained voice stated and all optics fell on Night Blight. “I know where to get the parts we need.”

“How?” Ravage asked in what seemed like genuine curiosity.

“Because I made the parts we need.” Night Blight stated. “We just need to get to Cybertron.”

“A feat made impossible by your own teammates actions.” Megatron stated. “You blew up my Space bridge.”

“You have others.” Comet Trail hissed lowly. “And if you want any help from us against the Destroyer God, you will-”

“Do not make threats you cannot keep, Child of the Towers.” Megatron cut her off only to stop when the sharp edge of Comet Trail’s knife was against his throat.

“Remember who snuffed two of your best before you try and down talk me, Megatronus of Darkmount.” 

“I think that’s enough of that.” Elita-One stated firmly and while it took a moment, Comet Trail did lower her knife, returning it to the sheath at her side, though the coldness of her gaze did not melt. 

“As much as it pains me to say it. We are not in a position to split the forces and do both tasks.” Optimus stated. “And while it may not be advised to leave Blitz Racer in her current state Ratchet can repair of help her with any long-term healing required when we are in a better place and at a better stand-”

“She won’t live that long!” Night Blight snapped, the sudden anger and dread making even Megatron remember that yes, there was a third of the group with Hot Rod and Comet Trail and yes, she as the related sister of Blitz Racer.

“Night Blight?” Elita-one tried to being in a soothing tone only to step back when Night Blight pull her hand free of Hot Rod’s and nearly broke the desk when she slammed her hands down onto it.

“Whatever that fragger shot her with, it’s ruined her processer! Everything she is, everything she knows is now trying to rewrite itself into her memory files and the triple personalities are fighting for dominance! Do you understand what that means?! If she doesn’t have the reformat into a triple changer in the next week, she will overwrite herself into offline!”

Silence. 

Ravage dared not say anything, knowing from past experience that a Medic could do far more harm then a normal soldier, Hot Rod and Comet Trail refusing to accept that they had just heard it from the youngest sister and Optimus and Elita-one in stunned shock of the raw emotion they had just witnessed from their youngest daughter.

[“You care for them that much that you will let emotion rule you when your duty to Primus and all the Primes demands your actions be ruled by your helm.”] 

[“You have not sat up at night preying they will see the sunrise the next day. You would not understand.”]

[“You never could stand to say the harsh truths. But then again, that is why you were so beloved by the Council of Elders, and I was not.”] 

Optimus didn’t need to look at Megatron to know what he was about to do, and while he would never forgive himself for the pain it was about to cause, he did nothing to stop it.

“If we do not stop Unicron, then the earth and all Humans upon the surface will die.” Megatron said finally, “Sad as it may seem, Your Prime and his Noble standing would not do well to let Humanity die out just to save his dear child.”

No one stopped Night Blight’s hard slap to the tyrant’s face, no one scalded her for the Cybertronian name she spat at him, nor would anyone in that room ever forget the broken look on Night Blight’s face as she turned and fled the room in tears. Comet Trail went after the young medic, though Ravage saw the glint of tears that refused to slip free as the assassin caught her optic. The assassin knew why Megatron had been the one to say that, she knew the truth of the words would only break Night Blight if they had come from Prime or Elita-one.

“Do not ask any of us for anything. We’ll do patrols, we’ll do our share of shifts, but we will not be available for anything else.” 

And with that, Hot Rod left the room.

“Quite strange,” Megatron said after a moment, “They remind me of a certain, younger assortment of sparks from a long time ago. When a commander told them of the capture of their teammates.” He said though Ravage recognized it for what it was.

“We can only hope none of them do something a reckless as that assortment of sparks did when they raided the Senate’s stronghold to free their teammates, against all odds and instruction of said commander.” Elita-one stated.

“Sentinel never had to deal with his own children looking at him like he had just broken their spark.” Optimus said, not bothering to hide the history the three were sharing, Ravage had been there to see it first-hand. “They will owe you nothing.” He added.

“I find it rather amusing that they have the spinal struts to stand up to me as they do,” Megatron admitted, “They owe me nothing, so long as they continue to show such bravery.”

Hot Rod found them, drawn to the hidden away room by the pained spark wrenching sobs of his youngest sister as Comet Trail just held the medic close, trying for all her worth to sooth the pain with a comforting embrace, gentle words in old Cybertronian that had once worked so well now did nothing and when they met gazes, he knew better then to ask, he just wrapped his arms around them both and refused to let go.

“She’ll die! If we don’t help her-hic-hic-she’ll die and they-choke-gasp-he wants us to-I- I can’t!” Night Blight sobbed brokenly into Comet Trail’s chest. “I can’t-I can’t lose her! I can’t!”

“You won’t.” Hot Rod stated. “We’ll find a way to Cybertron, no matter what it takes, and we’ll get the parts you need to help her. I promise.”

“How?!” Night Blight demanded. “They won’t help us! They won’t make him tell us! How can you-”

“Let us worry about the how’s and what’s.” Comet Trail said, gently squeezing Night Blight close before gently pulling away and carefully wiping away the oily tears from the medic’s face. “Get your tools and your weapons. Be ready to leave when Hot Rod comes for you.”

“What about Blitz?” Night Blight asked. “What if they-”

“Ahem.” A gentle cough dragged their attention to the doorway, Blaster stood there with Ravage at his side. “Steeljaw and my boys will watch over Blitz Racer while we are ‘working’. No one will touch her.”

“We?” Comet Trail asked. “You’re not going to tell Optimus and Elita?”

“I can’t turn my back on a little lady in need of help.” The musical mech stated and gave Night Blight a small smile. “I’m not as good a shot as your siblings, but I know my way around a comm-device and how to hotwire tech, I’m sure that’ll come in handy where we’re going.”

“And you?” Hot Rod asked with a look at Ravage.

“Soundwave owes Blitz Racer a favour for caring for Rumble and Frenzy.” Ravage said. “By proxy, we all do. I may be a Decepticon and loyal to Megatron, but I was raised to honour my debts.” She added and then looked right at the Heir. “You understand the value of family, do you think I would lie to you about that?”

“No.” Hot Rod sighed heavily. “Has Soundwave found Lockdown?”

Ravage smiled. “I’ll wait here.”

~@~@~@~@~@~

Soundwave was waiting for them when they stepped out of the bridge, Frenzy and Rumble at his sides, Ratbat on his arm, Night Blight pretended not to see the shock on the twin’s faces when they realized that she, Blaster, Comet Trail and Hot Rod had covered their emblems with some kind of plating that stopped anyone seeing them, as far as anyone would have guessed, they were neutrals.

Just like his children.

“Lockdown has a Space Bridge aboard his ship. We can use that to get to Cybertron.” Rumble said with a small smile.

“And where is Lockdown?” Hot Rod asked and Soundwave showed a location on his visor mask. “Then let’s go pay him a visit.” The Heir of Prime said as he and Comet Trail took the safety off their weapons.


	20. 20

20

Lockdown had not expected them.

He had not been prepared to face the brutality of a Towerling femme with the ferocity of a pit fighter, combine with the strength and speed of the Heir of Prime himself. The Towerling was fast, precise and she was relentless in her assault of him, when she backed off to catch her breath the son of Prime was there to take over, his fists coated in burning flames and his energy field burning the paint from Lockdown’s frame.

He had thought Soundwave and his bitlets would be the ones to find him for his attack on the mech’s bitlet, he had prepared to fight Soundwave and his bitlets, not two angry Autobots with such force and such power in their strikes that they were able to shatter his armour and break his shielding. 

Night Blight and Blaster were busy with tearing the airlock open, leaving Lockdown in the hands of Hot Rod and Comet Trail while she and the comms officer searched for answers and once inside the ship’s main bay the medic forced herself not to look at the collection of mods and parts that still had their original limbs attached to them. Blaster stepped into her sight line, blocking the mods as they worked to find anything they could on the Space bridge and how to work it.

“One-way trip, set from Cybertron here.” Blaster growled after a few minutes, “He didn’t have a bridge of his own.”

“Who sent you here?” Comet Trail demanded, driving her heel into the mech’s chest, pinning him to the ground. “Answer me!”

Lockdown gave a sick smile. “You’re too late, femme. The Defective one is already dying.” 

“She’s not dead yet.” Hot Rod hissed and kicked the smile right off Lockdown’s face plates. “Who send you here and what do they want.”

“Your parents.” 

The voice was chilling and Night Blight forced herself to reset her audios and replay the memory in her mind. Had Blaster really just said that?

“What do you mean?” Hot Rod asked, “Blitz Racer and Night Blight’s Sire and Carrier are dead.”

Blaster moved aside from the terminal he’d been working at and Night Blight moved to it, watching the information scroll over it. Her optics widening and her frame starting to shake violently as she read the words over and over again.

“They… They were going to-? Blitz and I- we were? They-And-” Night Blight tore herself away form the terminal and lost her morning rations and everything else in her stomach.

“You and your sister were offered as collateral by them to cover their loaning and using Senate funds to pay for their home and schooling you both. You were going to be gifted to the Senate heirs as brides only if you passed the schooling programs. When your parents died before they could fore fill their end, you two were assumed dead as well.” Lockdown stated with a low chuckle, “But then, they found out you were with the Prime himself and after learning of your sister’s glitch, chose instead to terminate her and instead focus on you as the sole prise. My mission was to terminate her and then collect you.”

“And the bitlet?” Comet Trail asked. “What did Ratbat do to you?” 

“Nothing,” Lockdown smirked, “I just didn’t like the way the brat was following me.”

“Leave him to me.” A deep, cold voice instructed calmly and Lockdown dared to look towards the source to see Soundwave at the edge of the light, the Decepticon third radiating anger as his three eldest moved to stand with Comet Trail and Hot Rod.

“Soundwave.” Night Blight said and the gladiator looked to her. “Make it hurt.” If there was any shock in Hot Rod and Comet Trail at her tone, they did not show it.

“As you wish.” Soundwave affirmed.

~@~@~@~@~@~

“Prime.”

Kup’s tone was enough to get everyone’s attention as he pointed to the screen in front of him.

} You can hate me, you can Court Marshall me, and you can strip me of rank and cast me out. I don’t care. I am not marked by the Fractions tonight, I am not the Heir of your lineage tonight. I am going to Cybertron. I am going to help a Medic and an Assassin find the parts they need to save a sister. We will contact you when we are done. {

} Lockdown was paid to do this. I’m not going to sit back and let him hurt my sisters just so you can cling to the hope you can win this war without bloodying your own hands again. I’m sending you the information to validate our actions so you can judge us as you want. I know I don’t care so if you need a life for this you can take mine. {

} I lost everything once. I am not going to lose her. I’ll take the punishment when it comes. {

Megatron silently read the messages and glanced at Optimus and Elita, most would see hurt and anger on their faces, worry and fear, but few would see the pride and gratitude. Harsh choices could destroy a unit. Shatter the bonds forever and the team that remained would be quick to follow their lost member away into the All-spark. But this unit would not let go of what they had without a fight.

There may be some worth in letting the younger Generation take charge of matters just to see if it were possible to find peace though them.


End file.
